


A Sound of Thunder

by QueenSabriel



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: AU - Declan died instead of Niall, Alternate Canon, F/M, M/M, Past Character Death, mostly Adam and Ronan centric, pynch - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-09-19
Packaged: 2019-03-18 03:23:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 96,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13673238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenSabriel/pseuds/QueenSabriel
Summary: The day he buried his eldest son, Niall Lynch vowed he would never dream again.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a complete rewrite of a fic I originally posted over a year ago, as I love the concept but there were a number of plot points that I wanted to tweak. (Original version is still on here, but this one is going to be better, I promise!)

_"Out of chars and ashes, out of dust and coals, like golden salamanders, the old years, the green years, might leap; roses sweeten the air, white hair turn Irish-black, wrinkles vanish; all, everything fly back to seed, flee death, rush down to their beginnings, suns rise in western skies and set in glorious easts, moons eat themselves opposite to the custom, all and everything cupping one in another like Chinese boxes, rabbits into hats, all and everything returning to the fresh death, the seed death, the green death, to the time before the beginning. A touch of a hand might do it, the merest touch of a hand."_

_-_ Ray Bradbury, _A Sound of Thunder_

**

It was well after dark when Niall Lynch stepped into the garishly lit lobby of the Henrietta police station, face set in an expression that was equal parts furious and worried. Of the many things he expected from his sons, being arrested was not one of them. In fact, actively _not_ getting in trouble with the police fell under the umbrella expectation of 'have a better life than I did at your age.'   

Spotting the older of his two surviving sons sitting in a plastic chair against the wall, Niall walked over and stood in front of him. "Ronan," he said.

It sounded like he meant to say 'what the hell's gotten into you.'

"Dad," Ronan said, jaw set defiantly as he looked up at Niall. His blue eyes looked eerie in the harsh shine of the fluorescent lights above. One sharp cheekbone was stained with a bruise, and his lower lip was puffy. His black hair was mussed, one curl hanging in front of his eye.

_Who is this child?_ Niall thought as he looked down at his son. _I don't recognize him anymore. God, don't let me have lost him too._

"Are ya alright?" Niall asked quietly.

Ronan nodded, but he didn't offer any explanation for the state of his face, or the fact that he was here in the first place.

Niall sighed and then turned to walk over to the front counter, behind which a tired looking police officer sat. He leaned on the counter, flashing a winning smile in her direction. "How're ya? I'm here for this eejit." He jerked his head in Ronan's direction.

"You're his father?" the officer said. This was a formality, really. Ronan was the spitting image of Niall, except with pale eyes where Niall's were dark. Still, he nodded. The officer picked up a piece of paper and slid it over to him with a pen. "I just need you to sign this, and then if I could see a photo ID…"

While Niall was getting his wallet out and coaxing his driver's license out of its slot, a door at the back of the police station opened and another officer stepped out, escorting a man in handcuffs. The man came to a dead stop when he saw Niall at the counter.

"Lynch!" he snarled.

Niall looked up. He raised an eyebrow.

Robert Parrish looked like he'd been on the receiving end of a brick to the face. He had a spectacularly black eye, a broken nose and what looked to be fingernail scratches across one cheek. None of these injuries however were nearly as ugly as the expression he wore as he looked at Niall. "That son of yours is a goddamn animal!" he shouted.

Slowly, Niall looked over his shoulder at Ronan, then back at Parrish. Things were starting to come together in his mind. "Tell me, Parrish," Niall said, sliding his driver's license over to the officer behind the counter. "Which was worse—the broken nose or the fact that a seventeen-year-old did it to ya?"

"Fuck you," Parrish spat.

Niall winked and touched his fingers to his brow in a mocking salute that made Parrish's nostrils flare in fury. He probably would have said more, but the officer escorting him pushed him through another door.

The cop behind the desk handed Niall's card back, along with a disapproving frown. "Thank you, Mr. Lynch."

"I can't help but notice Ronan's not the one getting locked up," Niall said.

"Your son was involved in an altercation with Mr. Parrish earlier this evening," said the cop. "However it became fairly clear to the officers who responded to the call that your son was defending another young man, who is also pressing charges against Mr. Parrish—"

Ronan interrupted, getting to his feet finally. "He was beating the shit out of Adam!"

"Ah," Niall breathed, looking at Ronan. He hadn't guessed wrong then. Glancing back at the police officer, Niall saw her expression had become a little less annoyed as well. "Is Adam alright?"

"No!" Ronan said, face tightening. "He's in the hospital, that son-of-a-bitch threw him down the stairs and he hit his head."

Niall sighed. "Jays," he whispered.

"I need to go see him."

"Not tonight," Niall said. "They'll not be havin' visitors this late." He turned back to the officer one last time, drumming his fingers on the counter. "You need anything else from me?"

"No, that should be everything," the officer said. "Thank you."

Niall stepped away, gesturing for Ronan to lead the way to the door. "Where's your car?"

"Here," Ronan said. "I can drive home."

"Try again," Niall said.

"Dad!" Ronan stopped, hands on the door, glaring at him. "I'm fine!"

"Grand," Niall said, raising his eyebrows. "I'm delighted to hear it. We'll get your car tomorrow. C'mon."

Ronan huffed, pushing the door open and stalking over to where Niall's car was parked. He yanked the door open, got in, slammed it shut, opened it, slammed it shut again for good measure. Niall let him throw his tantrum then got into the driver's seat. He put the keys in the ignition and fastened his seatbelt but didn't start the car. Instead he waited for Ronan to settle down.

"How long has this been goin' on?" Niall asked. "Adam's dad hurting him like this?"

"I don't know," Ronan said. He brushed his hair back from his face. "Forever, probably. Adam didn't tell us about it, but we saw the bruises and shit."

Niall sighed. He didn't look at Ronan. "You should have said something. To me, to your mother, the school…"

"Adam didn't want us to say anything," Ronan said. For just a second his control slipped and he sounded incredibly pained. Then he grunted and pounded the side of his fist against the door. "I'm not fucking sorry. I'd kick that bastard's ass again, I can take him. I don't care."

"That's your damn problem, isn't it?" Niall said, looking at him sharply. "Sometimes you need to care! I know you want to play the hero, Ronan, and men like Robert Parrish deserve everything they have comin' to them but men like Robert Parrish also keep guns in their house."

Ronan closed his eyes, breathing out heavily through his nose as he let his head tip back against the headrest. "You taught me how to fight," he said without opening his eyes. "I was protecting someone."

And Niall sighed, because he didn't have an argument for that.

**

There were lights on in the house when they got back half an hour later. Matthew was still awake, playing video games in the living room. Ronan immediately went over and flopped down on the couch next to him. Niall watched the two of them from the doorway for a moment, then continued down the hall into the kitchen. Aurora was wiping down the counters but she turned to look at Niall when he entered. With a sigh, he dragged one of the chairs out and sat down.

"Is Ronan alright?" Aurora asked.

"Aye, a nasty bruise but he'll be fine," Niall said. He suddenly felt drained, now that he knew what had happened, and he did nothing to hide it from his wife.

Aurora clicked her tongue, drying her hands on the towel hanging from the refrigerator handle, then walked over to stand behind Niall's chair. She leaned over and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, resting her cheek against his hair. "What happened?" she whispered.

"Adam Parrish's father's been beating him," Niall said, leaning back. He reached up, resting one hand on Aurora's arm. "Ronan saw him throw Adam down the stairs tonight and intervened."

Aurora let out a gasp. "Oh, no—oh that poor boy, is Adam alright?"

"He's in the hospital," Niall said. "I'll take Ronan to see him tomorrow. The older Parrish is in jail, at least, that's where he belongs. Ronan's not in any trouble."

"That's awful," Aurora said. She sounded distressed, and hugged Niall a little tighter. "That's so awful."

Niall nodded, rubbing her arm. He shifted in his seat, brow furrowing. From the living room he heard Matthew let out a lighthearted exclamation and then laugh.

Aurora turned her head and kissed Niall's temple. She stroked his hair, then rested her hand against his chest, perfectly manicured fingers splayed against the black fabric of his shirt. She nuzzled his cheek, and Niall knew that Aurora knew exactly what he was worried about, because she always knew, intuitively. She knew what was on his mind better when he didn't say it than when he did.

"He's a teenager," she said softly, after a moment. "And what he did tonight was because he cares about his friends, that's a good thing, isn't it?"

"It is," Niall agreed. "But Ronan's getting' wild, 'Rora, I know you've seen it too. Grades slipping, speeding tickets, talking back to us, disappearing God knows where…"

She touched a feather light kiss to his ear. "He's a lot like his father."

"Sure that’s what I'm afraid of," Niall said. He turned in his seat so he could face her, putting one hand against the side of her head, fingers buried in the shining golden curls of her hair. His expression fell. “I don’t know what to do. Ever since Declan he’s just…” But he trailed off.

And this was why Aurora, and only Aurora, was allowed to see him at his most helpless: seeing the worried expression, she cupped his face in her hands, brushing her thumbs against his cheeks. "I love you," she murmured, resting her forehead against his. "My light, my love. My dreamer. I love you, and I know you can figure this out."

**

They went to visit Adam the next day. Ronan felt tense and anxious as he rode with his father to the hospital. Gansey had texted already asking for Ronan to let him know how Adam was doing, and if there was anything he needed. Aurora had sent along a breakfast sandwich wrapped in tinfoil for Adam. Ronan's thoughts were buzzing around inside his skull like wasps inside a glass jar, and he barely said anything the whole duration of the drive into town.

The hospital was not busy, and it did not take them long to find out what room Adam was in and make their way to it. Ronan's anxiety amped up several notches as they approached Adam's door, but he didn't know why. Perhaps he was afraid of what he would find inside.

But what he found was Adam, sitting up in bed, a tray of hospital breakfast on the table next to him, his gaze fixed out the window. Unlike Ronan, he didn't bear any physical evidence of the night before, nothing like a bruise or a cut at any rate. There was something in his expression however, as he turned and looked at them, that made Ronan's stomach twist itself into an unpleasant knot.

"Hey Ronan," Adam said in a dull tone. "Mr. Lynch."

"Mom sent this for you," Ronan said, walking over to stand next to the bed. He held out the tinfoil wrapped sandwich.

Adam stared at it for a second, blinking slowly, then reached out to take it.

Niall stood at the foot of the bed, watching them. "Adam. When are they lettin' you out of here?"

"Today I guess," Adam said. He held the still-wrapped sandwich in both hands, looking down at it with a puzzled expression on his face. "This afternoon maybe."

"We'll wait around," Niall said, nodding. "You should stay with us for a while."

It worried Ronan that Adam didn't argue, didn't protest. Chewing his lip, Ronan grabbed a chair from the corner and dragged it closer to the bed, sitting down and resting his elbows on his knees. He stared intently at Adam. Adam stared down at the sandwich, picking at the edge of the tinfoil.

The silence was broken by the buzzing of Niall's phone. He took it out of his pocket, looked at the caller ID, then sighed. "Just a moment, boys, excuse me…" he muttered, stepping out into the hall.

Ronan waited until the door closed behind him, then he reached over and pressed his knuckles against Adam's arm. "Hey."

"I can't hear anything out of my left ear," Adam said. He began to very slowly unwrap the sandwich, not like he was hungry but like he just wanted something to do with his hands. "The doctor said I probably never will. Don't tell me you're sorry or that it's fucked up, please. I know."

Ronan leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "Okay, I won't."

"I'm sure Gansey's happy about this," Adam said.

"What?" Ronan said, frowning. "Why the hell would he be _happy_?"

Adam shrugged. "It's what he wanted, isn't it? Me getting out of there."

"C'mon, man," Ronan said, quietly but firmly. "You know this isn't what he wanted."

"It might not've been _how_ he wanted it to go down but it is what he wanted," Adam said. He looked at Ronan. There was something different in his eyes, colder and more distant. "He called this morning. He's already told me I should move into Monmouth."

Ronan sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Listen, I know Gansey doesn't think before he says things, but I promise he didn't mean it like that. He's trying to help, it's not about owning you or any shit like that."

"Whatever," Adam said. He took a bite of the egg and bacon sandwich, not like he was hungry but like he wanted an excuse not to talk anymore.

Ronan leaned back in his chair, letting out a long sigh.

**

Out in the hall, Niall put his phone up to his ear. "This is Niall Lynch."

"Hello you smug Irish bastard," drawled an all too familiar voice. "Don't hang up, I think you're going to want to hear what I have to say."

Niall scoffed. He doubted very much that he would ever want to hear what Colin Greenmantle had to say. "What didn’t you understand about ‘I quit’?” he asked, glancing up and down the deserted hallway. "I'm done. I have been out of the game for two bloody years and I intend to stay out."

"Oh, no no," Greenmantle said. "No, you don't get to drop a bombshell like this Greywaren thing and then deal yourself out, _boyo_ , that's not how it works."

"Fuck you," said Niall. "My son is dead because of it. No amount of money in the world is going to get me to change my mind."

"Money, no. But if I know you as well as I think I do, the identity of Declan's killer just might."

Every last drop of blood in Niall's veins turned to ice water. He didn't know how long he stood there before he could speak again. "What the fuck did you just say?" he rasped finally.

"I said," Greenmantle enunciated slowly. "I…know…who…killed…your…son."

"How?" Niall's mouth had gone dry.

"How do you think?" Greenmantle sounded delighted now. He always was a sadistic bastard and no doubt took great pleasure in knowing he had managed to stick his finger right into the one open wound Niall still wore. "I know the police told you it was a carjacking gone wrong, but _please_ , even you're not that stupid. You have a lot of enemies, Lynch, so this is how it goes – you give me the Greywaren and I'll tell you which of those enemies put a bullet in your sixteen year old son's head."

Niall forced himself to take a long, slow breath. He lifted his hand to the silver Celtic cross that hung from a leather band around his neck and rubbed it between thumb and forefinger. When he had summoned enough strength to at least sound calm he said, "Tempting. But revenge won't bring Declan back."

"Niall," Greenmantle sighed. "Niall Niall Niall. I shouldn't have to spell it out for you. But if you really want to play that way, fine, don't give it to me. But then you can explain to that pretty wife of yours how it's your fault when your other two brats turn up dead. Am I making myself clear? This really shouldn't be that hard of a choice."

Niall lowered his hand and looked down to see that it was shaking.

"I'm even feeling generous today," Greenmantle continued. "So I'll give you some time to think about it. But don't take too long."

And with that he hung up.

Niall lowered the phone from his ear and returned it to the pocket of his jeans. His hands were still shaking. He glanced at the door to Adam's room. He knew he couldn’t go back in there looking like this. Taking a deep breath, he went over to the drinking fountain a few yards away and splashed cold water on the back of his neck.

With his head still bowed in the little alcove, water dripping from the ends of his hair he whispered to himself, "Jesus fuck."

***

When Adam first woke he thought for one horrifying moment that he was back in his room in his parents' trailer home, and then he realized that instead of dogs barking and engines straining all he could hear were birds, and wind in the trees, and then the sound of Matthew Lynch's laughter from downstairs. He was at Ronan's house, asleep in the spare room that had once belonged to Ronan's older brother.

Adam sat up. He could tell by the light falling through the gauzy curtains and from how muzzy he felt that he had overslept. Gingerly he lifted a hand to his left ear. It felt a little warm to his touch. He rubbed his eyes and looked around; a duffel bag of his things sat on the window seat across from the bed. Slowly, Adam got to his feet and went to change into a clean pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

Thirst drove Adam to the kitchen where he was a little surprised to find Niall sitting on the little bench next to the back door pulling on a pair of work boots. "Morning," Niall said, glancing up when Adam entered.

Adam looked at the clock on the stove and was surprised to discover that it was, in fact, still morning.

"Matthew and Aurora just went to the store," Niall continued, not waiting for Adam to reply, and for that Adam was grateful. "But there's some cereal and milk, or bread for toast, help yourself to whatever you like. Ronan and I will be out back, come join us when you've eaten. Fresh air will do you some good." He smiled as he got to his feet.

"Thank you, sir," Adam said quietly. "I appreciate it. I appreciate all of this."

"Sure I wasn't going to just make you find your own way," Niall said. "I've been in your shoes before, Adam, believe it or not."

Adam nodded, though at the moment that _was_ a little difficult for him to believe.

Niall waited a moment longer, then nodded and turned to head outside.

After eating a bowl of cereal and drinking a glass of orange juice, Adam put his tennis shoes on and slipped outside. It was a bright, sunny day, gentle and inviting. Adam could see Ronan and Niall standing not too far from the house, near what looked like a row of large plastic dog houses, each with a little fenced off patch of grass in front of it. As Adam walked towards them he saw Niall grab Ronan playfully, ruffling his hair. Ronan let out an indignant yell, and the two tussled for a moment before they broke away, laughing good-naturedly.

Adam came to a stop. For the briefest second he felt something close to hatred welling in his chest, hatred directed at Ronan of all people. It would have been so easy to be angry with Ronan for having this, all of this while he, Adam, had only a deaf ear and nowhere to live.

Then he closed his eyes. No. That wasn't fair. That wasn't fair, and that wouldn't make him feel better.

When he opened his eyes again he saw Ronan waving in his direction. "Parrish! Come over here I want to show you something!"

"Coming," Adam said, too quietly for Ronan to have heard. He walked the rest of the way to Ronan and Niall, then stopped.

"Sleep okay?" Ronan asked, cocking his head. "You look like shit."

"Yeah well I think you’ve got literal shit on your shoes, Lynch," Adam said, eyeing the muck clinging to Ronan's work boots.

“People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw cow pies, I guess.” Ronan sniffed and scuffed his boot on the grass. "Fair enough. Seriously though, c'mere." He motioned for Adam to follow him over to the nearest of the plastic hutches.

When they got close to the u-shaped bit of fence in front of the hutch, a small brown calf stepped out to blink at them with heavy-lidded, long-lashed eyes. Ronan walked up to the fence and reached over to scratch behind her ear. He waved Adam closer.

Adam hesitated; not out of any real worry, but rather because he was trying very hard to reconcile _this_ version of Ronan Lynch with the Ronan Lynch he saw in class, the insolent, feet-on-desk, smart-ass-remarks Ronan. This Ronan, with wind in his hair, with mud and worse on his boots, with the mountains and forest behind him, looked so much more real.

"She's cute," Adam said quietly, reaching over to put his hand against the calf's side. Her hide felt warm and soft. She also felt very new. "How come the babies are separated like this?"

"Easier to keep an eye on them," Ronan said. "We can tell if one of them isn't eating or if they're sick or something. And if one is sick it keeps them from getting the rest sick. When they're a few months old they go back with the rest of the herd."

_Easier to keep an eye on them._ Adam turned and looked back to where Niall was carrying a small bale of hay over from the back of a flat-bed truck parked nearby. Glancing back again he saw Ronan rubbing his fingers gently against the calf's forehead. Ronan turned his head a little, looking at Adam out of the corner of his eye.

Adam wondered if he was here so people could keep an eye on him. He wondered _why_ people would want to keep an eye on him. He wondered if it was hypocritical for him to simultaneously envy Ronan for this home and this family, but also resent the fact that he himself was here with little other choice to go.

He felt free.

He felt caged.

He felt...something.

Ronan was still watching him. "Parrish?"

"Sorry," Adam mumbled. "I don't think I'm awake just yet." At his side, he clenched and unclenched his fist, then drummed his fingers against his leg.

He had to do _something_.

**

It was night again, and Adam couldn't sleep.

So many things were wrong. He had spent the day in a fog, trailing around after Ronan as he did his chores, his mind a dozen miles away. Ronan had let him be, hadn't tried to get Adam involved in anything if he didn't want, hadn't pestered him with questions. In fact, they had barely spoken all day, and that was alright by Adam. That wasn't part of the wrongness.

Here was one thing that was not right: Adam felt homesick. How terrible a thing that was. He had finally gotten away from that trailer and his parents, from his father's fists, but lying awake in the guest room of the Lynch's house all he could think about was how unfamiliar it seemed and how he would be able to sleep better in his own bed. Except that wasn't true. He thought about how he only slept through the night when he was too exhausted from work to do anything else.

He also thought about how his mother had only ever called him Adam, but at dinner tonight Aurora had called him 'sweetheart' while asking if he'd rather have something else to eat since he hadn't touched the plate of food put in front of him. (And that question, that idea that he could have something else, something different just because he might not feel like eating meatloaf and potatoes...)

Here was another thing that was not right: He was still furious with Ronan, even though Ronan was being exactly the kind of friend that Adam knew, logically, he needed right now.

And another: Barrington Whelk was going to reach Glendower before they did.

And another: Gansey and Ronan and Blue all wanted to just wait while Whelk did just that.

Adam sat up. He listened to the stillness and silence of the house around him. Carefully he got out of bed and went over to his duffel bag, this time feeling in deep beneath the clothes until his hand touched cool gunmetal.

His father's gun. He had taken it earlier when they went to get his things, he'd taken it because he was afraid what his father might do to his mother if he didn't. Biting back a sick feeling of guilt, Adam checked the safety then transferred the weapon to his messenger bag before sitting down to pull on his shoes.

Dressed and armed, Adam stepped out into the hallway. From the direction of Matthew's room he heard the faint sound of snoring through the open door. At the far end of the hall, Niall and Aurora's door was closed. Adam set the bag down in the hall, then swiftly crossed to Ronan's room.

He hesitated a moment with his hand on the door knob, listening, and when he heard no sound from within turned the knob oh-so-slowly and stepped inside.

The room was lit by moonlight falling in through the uncovered window. By its silver glow, Adam saw Chainsaw watching him from her cage. She ruffled her feathers a little and cocked her head to the side, but thankfully remained silent.

Ronan lay on the bed, half on his side, earphones on, eyes closed, lips parted a little. Adam crept closer, holding his breath. He glanced at the nightstand and sure enough there next to Ronan's wallet were his car keys. Chainsaw shifted in her cage, letting out an almost inaudible cluck, like she knew what Adam was doing and disapproved, but not enough to wake Ronan about it.

Adam picked up the keys. On the bed, Ronan rolled over. Though he didn't appear to be awake, Adam froze, staring at him, expecting any second for Ronan to wake up and demand to know what the hell he was doing. But he didn't. He just stretched in his sleep, his t-shirt riding up a little to reveal an inch or so of pale hip-bone. Adam continued to look at him, at the long line of his body, at the sharp lines of his face and jaw.

Then Adam turned away, creeping with as much care as he could out of the room. He grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder, then started picking his way down the stairs. He knew exactly what he had to do now, but he also knew that no one else would think it was a good idea.

The stairs ended in the front hall, directly across from the archway that led into the living room. As Adam stepped off the last step he looked up and with a sinking feeling saw that a light was on in the living room and Niall Lynch was seated in an armchair with a book in his hands. He glanced up, and though there was no hostility in his expression, Adam felt an instinctive wash of utter terror at having been caught sneaking out.

"Adam?" Niall said, closing the book and setting it aside. "Everything alright?"

"Yes, sir," Adam said. He realized there was no way Niall wouldn't see the car keys in his hand. "I uh... I couldn't sleep. Ronan said I should try taking a little drive."

Niall raised his eyebrows. If anything was suspicious about this whole situation it was Ronan giving someone else permission to drive his car, especially without him present, but it wasn't suspicious enough for Niall to say anything. "Alright. Just mind that front drive, it's not lit and it's easy to go off the side."

"I will," Adam said, but he didn't move.

"You sure you're alright?" Niall asked.

Adam nodded. "Yes. I... I'll be back soon."

But that might have been a lie as well, because Adam didn't know when he would be back. Seeing Niall give another slow nod, Adam turned a bit too sharply and hurried out.

It was time to go wake the ley line.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

It was a brilliant and warm afternoon in late June, nearly a month after Adam had left his parents, nearly a month after he had woken the ley line. Things had been relatively uneventful for the past few weeks, except for a noticeably changed dynamic in the group. Today however, Gansey, Blue, Ronan, Adam and Noah had spent several hours exploring the area around Cabeswater, an expedition that had led to the five of them standing clustered on the grassy shore of a small lake, shielding their eyes as they looked out at the white plastic airplane now floating in the middle of the water.

"Farewell, valiant craft," said Noah.

"Such a shame," said Gansey. "It served us well."

A second later Blue Sargent let out a shriek as Ronan scooped her into his arms and started towards the water. "Lynch!" She shouted, pounding her fist on his shoulder. "Put me down I swear to god if you throw me in that water I'll kick your ass!"

"C'mon I can toss you out to the plane and then you can get it!" Ronan said.

The others looked over at the two, just as Ronan finally set Blue on her feet, though the minute he did she body slammed him, causing the much larger teen to double over, wheezing with laughter. Blue smacked his shoulder again for good measure, then folded her arms over her chest. Looking at Gansey she said, "Did I ever tell you that Ronan's an asshole?"

"Ronan, be nice to Jane," Gansey said mildly. "Or she might just throw you in the lake."

"C'mon, it's fucking hot out, jumping in the lake doesn't sound like that bad an idea," Ronan said, straightening.

"I dunno," said Adam, regarding the water and wrinkling his nose. "Looks a little funky. You might come out with mutant super powers or something."

Ronan gestured eloquently at the plane that was drifting further and further away. "I already have superpowers, Parrish."

"You weren't wrong about the heat, though," Gansey said, using the back of his wrist to wipe the sweat off his forehead.

"Well I do declare," Ronan said in a breathy, exaggerated version of Gansey's accent, putting his own wrist to his forehead and adopting a dramatic, distressed expression. "It's hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk out here! I'm positively _melting_."

Adam turned his head to the side, snickering. Even Blue was having a hard time not laughing.

"Why, Ronan, that's so kind of you to invite us all over to your house which has central air and is much closer than Henrietta," Gansey said with a polite smile.

"Sure, why the hell not," Ronan said. "C'mon."

The five of them started back up the rise to where the Camaro was parked, Gansey and Ronan in the lead, Blue and Adam walking side by side a ways behind, and Noah just behind them, distracted by a butterfly that had mistaken the colorful clips in Blue's hair for a patch of flowers.

Gansey glanced back over his shoulder at the others, then said quietly to Ronan, "Has Adam had any luck finding a place?"

"Not really," Ronan said. "Dad keeps telling him he can just stay with us but... I dunno."

"You're a bit far from town and Adam doesn't have a car," Gansey pointed out.

"Right cuz we don't have any cars he can use," Ronan said, snorting. "Listen man if Parrish didn't want to live at Monmouth I'm not expecting him to want to live with me forever. It's his choice."

Gansey's mouth tightened a little and he let out a sigh. "Yes, well... how are your parents doing? I know this is a difficult time of year..."

"They're fine," Ronan said, shrugging a little too casually and suddenly becoming very interested in the grass at their feet.

"And what about you?"

Ronan pretended not to hear him. Or just flat out ignored the question. Gansey let out another sigh, patting his friend on the back and not asking again.

***

Blue didn't say anything as she and Adam trailed after Ronan and Gansey up the hill. Since waking the ley line, something had changed about Adam. Not that he was ever the most vocal of their group, but she couldn't help but feel he was drawing into himself even more now.

Adam looked at her and caught her watching him. He reached out and touched one finger to her wrist, just above the brightly colored rubber bracelets she wore. Blue looked down. Even at the peak of his summer tan, Adam's finger looked pale against her own brown skin. She considered taking his hand, but couldn't quite bring herself to, and after only a second or two Adam drew his hand back anyway.

"So," Blue said. "I get to see where you've been staying finally."

"Yeah. You'll like it. The Barns is great." Adam squinted up at Gansey and Ronan, who had reached the top of the ridge and were waiting, heads ducked close together. Chainsaw flew down to Ronan's shoulder, ruffling her feathers a little. Adam looked back at Blue. "You haven't met Ronan's parents yet either, have you?"

She shook her head. "Not really, no. I hear his dad is... a lot."

"Uhuh," Adam said. "He's nice though. Ronan makes a lot more sense once you've met him."

"Sure," Blue said, grinning. She looked up and shouted, "Lynch! Adam seems to think there's a way to make sense of you."

Ronan raised his eyebrows as she, Adam and Noah joined him and Gansey. "Make sense of _me_?" he said, rounding on Adam. "What dream world are you living in, Parrish?"

"Yours, apparently," Adam said, reaching up to flick Ronan's cheek as he stepped past him to get in the car.

Blue shook her head, turning to exchange a look with Noah. He was grinning the happy, dreamy sort of grin he got when energy was strong and the group was getting along. It was nice, really, and even though Blue was still figuring out her place in all of this, she had no doubt of her genuine affection for all the boys.

Ducking her head, she climbed into the back seat of the Camaro after Adam. Noah joined them, and Gansey and Ronan got into the front seat. As Gansey started the car, Blue leaned forward between him and Ronan.

"Oh, by the way," Ronan said, raising his voice over the growl of the engine. "Don't anyone mention that plane to my dad, okay?"

Blue tilted her head. "He doesn't know you can dream things?"

"He does," Ronan said. He shifted a little, frowning. "He can do it too, but he hasn't since...since my brother died. So yeah, he knows I can, but he told me not to."

"Why?" Blue asked.

Ronan shrugged. "No idea. It was one of those 'because I said so' things. Maybe he thinks I can't control it."

Blue chewed her lip. "You don't think it had something to do with your brother, do you?"

"My brother was shot in the head in a parking lot," Ronan said, and his voice was suddenly icy. "I don't see what the fuck that has to do with my dad's abilities. And if you're suggesting that he somehow got Declan killed then you need to shut the actual fuck up."

" _Ronan_ ," Gansey said, at the same time that Adam used both feet to kick the back of Ronan's seat. Taking his eyes off the road for a second, Gansey glared at Ronan. "You need to apologize."

Face burning, Blue tried to glare at all of the boys at once. "I don't need you to stand up for me," she said to Gansey and Adam. She took a deep breath and looked at Ronan. "That's not what I meant," she said, forcing herself to sound calm.

Ronan's nostrils flared a little, then he ducked his chin and said through clenched teeth, "I don't like to talk about my brother."

"Okay," Blue said, quieter and calmer now. "I'm sorry I brought him up. But you don't get to be a dick to me, okay? I'm just trying to help."

He turned around then and looked her in the eye as he nodded, then held up his fist. Blue bumped her knuckles against his and smiled a little before flopping back between Noah and Adam, the latter of which gave Ronan's seat one more kick for good measure.

***

It was not a long drive to the Barns, but with the heat of the day and the less-than-functional state of the Pig's air conditioning, everyone was grateful when Gansey finally turned the car off of the little two-lane highway that ran through Singer's Falls and into the shady, tree lined drive of Ronan's family's farm. As they made their way up the drive, Blue leaned forward again, looking out the windshield at the arching bows of trees above them, at the dappled sunlight that fell across the hood of the car and in to spill across Ronan and Gansey's lap.

And then, all at once, the trees fell away and the farm spread out before them; rolling waves of green and gold dotted by outbuildings and herds of cattle and the solitary specks of horses. In the side yard laundry hung on long clotheslines, billowing gently in the breeze. The house itself was an idyllic two-story farm house, the kind that looked old but well cared for, and like it might be a little larger inside than it looked on the outside.

Gansey pulled the Camaro to a stop just outside the open garage door. In the shadows of the garage Blue could see two BMWs parked, one being Ronan's shiny black one, the other presumably belonging to his parents. It was a shocking reminder that despite Ronan's rough and tumble nature, the Lynches were probably just as wealthy as the Ganseys.

As Ronan and Gansey threw the doors open the sounds of the farm reached them; animal noises and machinery, and wind in the trees. Blue, Adam and Noah all tumbled out of the back seat just as the front door of the house opened and out stepped a man who looked like a middle aged, dark eyed version of Ronan. He lifted his hand in greeting to the teens, the sunlight glinting off a wedding band and a silver ring on his thumb.

Blue folded her arms over her chest, stepping a little closer to Adam as she watched Niall Lynch make his way down the front walk to them. He and Ronan really did look alike, though Niall wore his hair longer and there was something a little more mischievous about his expression. Currently he wore paint splattered jeans, mud splattered work boots, and a faded t-shirt from some bar in Boston.

"Brought the whole gang along I see," he said. "What've you lot been up to?"

The accent took Blue by surprise, and she couldn't remember if she knew that Ronan's father was actually Irish, as in Irish-from-Ireland-Irish.

"Oh, the usual," Gansey said. "Exploring ley lines. Hunting for dead Welsh kings."

"Gansey wants to drain a lake," Ronan said.

Niall raised his eyebrows.

Gansey sniffed. "I do not want to _drain_ a lake, Ronan, I just want to take readings from it. Mr. Lynch, it's good to see you again."

"Gansey," Niall said, looking amused as they shook hands. To Blue's further surprise he reached over and ruffled Noah's hair. "Noah. You're looking well."

Noah beamed. "Today has been a good day," he declared.

"Good," Niall said. "Adam, there's some mail for ya, I set it on your dresser."

"Thank you, sir," Adam said.

And then Niall's intense gaze settled on Blue. She found herself straightening a little, tilting her chin up.

"Dad, this is Blue Sargent," Ronan said. "Blue, this is my dad."

"A pleasure," Niall said. He took Blue's hand, then to her great bemusement, kissed the back of her fingers. "You must be the psychic's daughter."

"D'you have a problem with psychics?" Blue asked. There had been something about the way he said the word that she couldn’t quite place.

Niall let go of her hand and grinned. "Only when they have a problem with me," he said.

Blue wasn't sure what to say to that, so she just smiled.

"I've got to go into town and pick up some groceries and also Matthew," Niall said, glancing at Ronan. "Your mother's inside, don't go botherin' her too much though, ay? You can get yourself snacks if you need it."

Ronan nodded, waving his hands dismissively.

"See you in a few," Niall said, patting his son on the shoulder as he stepped past them towards the garage.

Ronan led the way up the walk towards the house, and Blue leaned in towards Adam. "He _is_ a lot. That's nice that he's letting you stay with them though."

Adam nodded, absently.

The inside of the house reminded Blue more than a little of 300 Fox Way. From the front entry she could see down a long hall into the kitchen, and something about the layout had a slight warren-like feel to it. There was also clutter, everywhere, but it was the friendly comforting clutter of a well-loved home. Soft music played from somewhere, and looking to their left, Blue could see through an archway into the living room where Ronan's mother was just arranging a few things on the coffee table. She straightened as they entered, smiling.

Aurora Lynch looked like a benevolent, kind hearted queen from an illustrated book of children's fairy tales. She had a soft, heart shaped face and soft dimpled cheeks and a soft body under the flowing peasant dress she wore. Her long, curly blonde hair was pulled up into a messy bun, and her eyes were the same pale blue as Ronan's. When she spoke, her voice was just as soft and gentle as the rest of her. "Well hello everyone!"

"Hey Mom," Ronan said, and he seemed to have softened as well, stepping around a large vase filled with umbrellas and walking sticks so his mother could cup his face in her hands and kiss his cheek. "This is Blue Sargent, you haven’t met her yet."

Aurora beamed. "Blue. It's lovely to meet you, sweetheart, welcome."

"Thank you, ma'am," Blue said, smiling back. Like with Matthew, it was impossible not to smile back at Aurora.

"Now there's food in the kitchen if you're hungry—will you all be staying for dinner?" Aurora asked, looking at them. Noah had drifted to her side and she turned to absently try and straighten the collar of his shirt. Though this appeared to be a fruitless effort, Noah at least appreciated the attention.

"Oh..." Blue looked at Gansey regretfully. "I have a shift tonight at Nino's..."

Gansey nodded. "That's alright, I shouldn't be out too late tonight anyway, I'll take you back into town. Thank you, Mrs. Lynch, but I think we'll take a rain check on that..."

"Any time," Aurora said.

Ronan jerked his head towards the back of the house. "We're just going to hang out in the kitchen for a bit, I think."

Aurora tugged him closer to kiss his cheek one more time before the teens all tramped down the main hall towards the back of the house, and the large, sunny kitchen there. Ronan immediately went to the fridge to retrieve a jug of lemonade, Blue and Noah sat at the table, Gansey took out his phone and stepped onto the back porch, and Adam went to linger near the sink, leaning back against the edge of the counter.

Blue rested her chin in her hand and looked at Adam. Adam did not look at her. He had a faint crease between his eyebrows and was staring across the room in the vicinity of Ronan's feet. Beside her, Noah let out a not unhappy sigh.

The air around them felt electric.

***

The Gray Man prided himself on blending in.

One of the first things he had learned was that if you _acted_ like you were supposed to be somewhere, people were considerably less likely to question you. Even if that somewhere was a small Virginian town where no doubt everyone knew everyone else and a strange man dressed all in gray would have normally stuck out like a sore thumb. But he had managed to trail after Matthew Lynch for most of the day without any suspicion. A few people had even smiled and said hello.

Currently, the Gray Man sat on top of a picnic bench overlooking a river. He had a half-eaten sandwich in his hands and a bottle of coke next to him. His gaze was fixed on the group of boys floating in a rowboat in the middle of the river. Only one of the boys was an Aglionby boy, and that was Matthew Lynch, golden haired and dimpled. The others were local town boys, the kind who normally would sneer at Aglionby Boys from a distance (though the Gray Man did not know that yet).

It would have been hard to sneer at eternal-ray-of-sunshine Matthew Lynch, who was so drastically different from both his brother and his father.

The Gray Man almost felt bad about what he had to do, but work was work, and Greenmantle had given him very specific instructions.

The boys in the river were starting to bring their boat in, so the Gray Man wrapped up his sandwich and got to his feet. He lingered in the shadow of the trees while the boys returned the boat to the back of someone's pickup truck and started getting ready to leave.

"You guys go on!" Matthew called to them. "I gotta call my dad to come get me. I'll see you later!"

The Gray Man waited until the other boys had driven away. While Matthew was still fumbling in his pockets for his phone, the Gray Man started towards him. He moved quickly, grabbing the boy by his shirt and hauling him around behind the disused boathouse where no one could see them.

Matthew Lynch wasn't a small person, but he didn't feel like he knew how to use that size the same way his father or brother did. The Gray Man shoved him up against the wall, pinning him there easily.

The boy's eyes were wide. "Oh no..." he said in a small voice. The Gray Man wondered if he was maybe not all that bright.

How had Niall Lynch produced _this_? Niall Lynch, larger than life Irish bastard who could throw a punch as easily as he could quote Yeats off the top of his head, who couldn't keep his mouth shut and swore like a sailor. How had he fathered this blonde-haired boy whose light blue eyes were brimming now with frightened tears?

"Oh no," Matthew said again, his expression crumpled in worry.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Matthew," the Gray Man said patiently. "Not today. But I need you to know that I _could_ , do you understand? Good. I need you to tell your father something. I need you to tell him to figure out what his answer is."

Matthew sniffed, loudly. "His answer to what?"

"Don't worry about it," said the Gray Man. "Just tell him that. He'll know what it means. Can you do that? Good boy." He let go of Matthew and took a step back.

Matthew Lynch punched him.

To give him credit, the punch did take the Gray Man completely by surprise, and that was entirely his own fault. And, _man,_ could that boy throw a punch—maybe he wasn't so stupid after all.  Stumbling back the Gray Man had to shake his head a couple times to clear it, though that gave Matthew a chance to also punch him in the stomach. This was apparently just a ploy to get away, though the minute Matthew tried to run the Gray Man grabbed him and threw him against the wall again.

"Alright," the Gray Man said. "I said I wouldn't hurt you but you're going to make me regret that it if—"

Matthew threw another punch at him, so the Gray Man retaliated, his own fist connecting with the boy's nose. Matthew reeled back, falling against the wall with a frightened sob.

"Are you done?" The Gray Man asked.

"Who _are_ you?!" Matthew said, still looking more terrified than angry.

"Has your father ever mentioned something called the Graywaren?" he asked, ignoring the boy's question.

Matthew shook his head.

"Are you lying?"

Again, Matthew shook his head. The Gray Man believed him. He let go of Matthew, holding up a warning finger in case the boy was about to deck him again. Matthew just slid to the ground, hugging his knees to his chest and trembling. His nose wasn't bleeding, but it did look red and swollen.

"Tell him what I said," said the Gray Man, firmly, hovering over Matthew Lynch until he was certain the boy would do just that.

Then he turned and walked back to his car.

***

Gansey and Blue and Noah left just as the afternoon shadows were beginning to stretch across the front lawn. Aurora banished Adam and Ronan from the kitchen so she could make dinner, and the two of them went to sit on the front porch while they waited for Niall and Matthew to get home. Chainsaw joined them, though she quickly busied herself rummaging in the pile of weeds and grass clippings that was waiting to be swept up beside the front flower beds.

For a while Ronan and Adam sat on the porch steps, talking about Glendower, and the ley line, and their friends. Ronan tied a long blade of grass into knots, and Adam picked at a hole in his tennis shoes, chin resting on his knees.

They both looked up when Niall's car came around the bend in the drive a little faster than normal. When it stopped on the apron of the garage and Niall got out, Ronan could tell immediately that something wasn't right. His father's expression was tight, eyes wide, and he gripped his car keys like he was about to punch someone with them.

Then Matthew came around from the passenger side.

"Shit," Ronan whispered. He jumped to his feet, sprinting over to his little brother. " Matt! What happened?"

Matthew just shook his head, pulling Ronan into a fierce hug that Ronan returned without hesitation. He didn't look too seriously hurt, but his expression was heartbreakingly miserable, and the mere thought that someone would raise a hand against him... Ronan turned, looking at their father. "Dad?"

"I need to talk to your mother," Niall muttered, already stalking inside, not even glancing at Adam as he passed him.

Ronan let out a harsh breath, then looked down at Matthew. "Hey, bud, talk to me. What happened?"

"Some guy," Matthew said, rubbing his swollen nose a little and looking at Ronan with wide, watery eyes. "I dunno who he was. He threatened me and then said I had to tell Dad something..."

Adam had joined them by then, looking equally concerned.

"What did you have to tell dad?" Ronan asked.

Before Matthew could reply, however, there came the sound of the screen door being nearly hurled off its hinges as Aurora burst from the house, not even bothered that she was barefoot on the gravel drive as she ran to her sons. Adam stepped out of the way, raising his eyebrows.

"Matthew!" Aurora gasped, stricken as she took in the sight of Matthew's face.

"I'm okay, Mom," Matthew tried to assure her, but the tears in his eyes said otherwise.

Ronan looked up towards the porch. His father was standing at the top of the steps, arms folded over his chest, jaw clenched, lip curling just a little.

A moment later he felt his mother's hand on his arm. "Ronan, would you and Adam please go keep an eye on the chicken?" She asked, her voice quiet and shaking. "Just take it out of the oven when the timer goes off."

"Yeah," Ronan said. He hesitated, then reached out and put a hand on Matthew's head for a second before motioning for Adam to follow him in the house.

Niall was still standing on the porch, and when they were level with him, he reached out and grabbed Ronan's arm. "I don't want you goin' anywhere by yourself for a while," he said in a low, dangerous tone that invited no argument. "I don't care what it is or what you're doin', you have someone with you, ya hear? ...Ronan, answer me."

"Yeah," Ronan said, looking surprised. "Yeah, sure."

"Right." Niall let go of his arm, but he continued to look at both Ronan and Adam fiercely. "If Matt says anything about who did this to him, I need you to tell me."

This time Ronan just nodded, but it was a very emphatic nod.

"Alright. Go on inside. We'll be in."

Ronan glanced at Adam, but the other boy's face was unreadable. Silently, the two headed inside.

***

Ronan waited until the others had gone to be to try and talk to his father. He slipped out of his room, still dressed, and headed downstairs. The living room was dark, as was Niall's study, but when Ronan padded into the kitchen and looked out the back window, he saw a distant light at one of the far-off barns. Grabbing a flashlight for himself, Ronan stepped out the back door and began the trek across the field behind the house.

It was one of those nights that seemed to be holding its breath. The air had a heavy, humid quality to it, and the prickle along Ronan's arms made him think there might be a thunderstorm not too far off. The night insects seemed quieter too, and mostly all he heard was the rustling of his feet in the grass.

He found his father coming out of one of the large, metal sided barns that was currently being used for storage. An electric lantern sat on a post near the doors.  Niall was just backing out when Ronan approached, easing the double doors closed, but when he saw his son he pulled them shut with a bang and whirled to face Ronan. "What are you doing out here?"

"Looking for you," Ronan said, raising an eyebrow. He looked at the closed doors of the barn. "What were _you_ doing in there?"

"Mind your own business," Niall said.

Ronan scowled at him. "Dad."

"Go on back inside," Niall said, nodding his head towards the house. "It's late."

" _Dad_ ," Ronan said, a little more firmly this time. "Are we going to talk about what happened to Matt?"

Niall cast him a look, then turned and picked a heavy padlock off the ground, using it to latch the barn doors shut. "Don't worry about it, I'll take care of it."

"And what the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"Ay, watch your fucking mouth, alright?" Niall said, pointing two fingers at Ronan. His expression softened and he reached out to rest a hand on Ronan's head. "It means that I'm the father here, you don't need to worry because I won't let that happen again, yeah?"

Ronan ducked away from his hand. "What happened, though? Why did someone attack Matt?"

Niall let out a long, weary sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. He turned and took a step closer to Ronan, catching his head lightly but firmly between his hands. He leaned in, looking Ronan in the eye. "Boys like you should worry about things like school, and magic and finding dead kings. You don't need to worry about this, ay? I promise. I won't let anything happen to you or Matthew."

Behind him, something scratched a few times at the inside of the barn door. Ronan turned, trying to see, but Niall kept ahold of his head.

"Don't worry about that either."

Ronan looked at his father. He couldn't stop himself from thinking about what Blue had said earlier.  "Does this have something to do with Declan?" he whispered.

Pain crossed Niall's face for the briefest of seconds. He didn't cry—he almost never cried—but when he turned his head a little Ronan could see wetness in the corner of his eye that hadn't been there before. It was the lack of an answer, and the long hesitation before he said anything, that told Ronan all he needed to know.

" _Turning and turning in the widening gyre, the falcon cannot hear the falconer,_ " Niall murmured, brushing his thumb against Ronan's cheek. " _Things fall apart, the center cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, the blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere, the ceremony of innocence is drowned; the best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity."_

Ronan listened, and he didn't pull away, but he did frown.

Niall pressed a kiss to his forehead, then let his hands fall and gave Ronan a little nudge. "Go on, off to bed with ya. Ronan."

Ronan wanted to say something, he wanted to say a million things, but the way his father had said 'Ronan' sounded more like he meant to say, 'we're through here.'

 


	3. Chapter 3

That night, Ronan dreamed. No sooner had he closed his eyes than he was back outside again, but the fields did not feel like the familiar terrain of his home. Instead they were so dark that he couldn't see more than a foot or so in any direction—except, that is, for the single light glowing in front of a barn far ahead of him. 

It was not just any barn; it was the metal-sided storage barn he had seen his father locking up that very night. In his dream Ronan strode towards it with purpose, certain that he was about to discover what, exactly, Niall Lynch was hiding. Upon reaching the building, however, he saw that the doors were still fastened with a heavy padlock. 

Something tugged on the hem of his shirt. Ronan looked down. 

A small girl with short blonde hair and what seemed to be deer or goat legs and hooves looked up at him. She was not unfamiliar, Ronan had encountered her a number of times in his dreams. Now she wore a slightly worried expression, and the hand that wasn't tugging on Ronan's shirt was clenched tightly around something.

"Greywaren," she said. 

"I don't know what that means," Ronan said.

The girl said something else, not in English, not in Latin either. Then she let out a heavy, world weary sigh and shook her head. "Your father," she whispered, then put her clenched hand to her chest, beating it lightly a few times over her chest. "Trees rot from the inside, Ronan. Help him."

"My father doesn't let anyone help him," Ronan said. "What are you holding?"

The girl held up her hand and uncurled her fingers. Resting on her palm was a key.

Ronan took it. He turned and grabbed the lock on the barn doors—sure enough the key fit and turned. With a click the lock opened and he dropped it on the grass, then grabbed the handles of the doors and flung them wide open.

Leaf-dappled sunlight spilled out, and with it the smell of plants and dirt. Trees filled the interior of the barn, thickly grown, more like a rainforest than Cabeswater. Ronan stared. At his feet was the start of a narrow dirt path that wound its way deep into the impossible forest. Orphan Girl pressed close to him, clutching at the leg of his jeans.

Something sat on the path a few yards ahead. Ronan started towards it. The Orphan Girl tried to hold him back with a worried shout of, "Ronan!" But she wasn't strong enough, and after getting dragged a few steps she let go, dropping to sit in the grass just outside the doors, hugging her knees and letting out a piteous little whine.

Ronan did not intend to stay. He just wanted the object in front of him. He hurried forward, ignoring the whispers from the trees as he reached for the box that sat in the middle of the path. Just as his hands touched its sides, something rustled nearby. Behind him, Orphan Girl let out a wail.

He straightened, hugging the box to his chest. The light seemed to be fading now, and something was definitely moving in the trees. 

"Ronan!" Orphan Girl cried. "Kerah! Kerah!"

Ronan looked at her in surprise. 

Something behind him let out a low, heart vibrating sound, like a growl only deeper and  _more._  A shadow fell over him. Looking back, he saw that something huge and monstrous had stepped into the path, loomingover him, something with dark, shiny scales and a long, demonic face and a single yellow, pupil-less eye, and jaws opening to reveal rows and rows of—

Ronan woke so suddenly that a wave of nausea rolled over him, and he had no way to fight it, paralyzed as he was with the wooden box sitting on his chest. As soon as he regained use of his muscles, he rolled over and leaned over the side of his bed, dry heaving a few times. 

And as soon as  _that_  had stopped, Ronan jumped up and darted out of his room and across the hall into Adam's. 

"Parrish!" he hissed, using his foot to push the door closed behind him before practically jumping onto the end of Adam's bed.

Adam shifted, then groaned. "God, what the hell, Ronan? What time is it?"

"Half past fuck o'clock in the morning," he said. "It doesn't matter. Look at this. Look." He held the box out in both hands.

Sitting up, Adam leaned over to switch on the bedside lamp. He was wearing an oversized grey t-shirt, and his dusty hair was mussed and sticking up a little in the back. The stretched-out neckline of the shirt revealed, when Adam leaned forward, the delicate line of his collarbone. He yawned. "What is that?"

"A translator, I think," Ronan said, turning the box over. Each side was covered in an array of buttons and dials with different alphabets written on them. "I don't know all the languages, but it seems useful, right?"

Adam yawned again, absently running his finger over one of the dials on the Greek side of the box. "Gansey's gonna geek out."

"Yeah," Ronan said, starting to laugh, but the sound stopped halfway. 

From his memory of the dream, a blank, yellow eye stared back at him. He shuddered.

"What's wrong?" Adam asked, frowning.

"Nothing." Ronan's shoulders slumped and he lowered the box to rest in his lap. Staring down at it, he chewed the inside of his cheek, then looked up at Adam. "Why don't you just stay here, man?"

Adam blinked, drowsily at him. "Huh?"

"At the Barns. Here. Why don't you just take my dad up on his offer and move in here for real? It's either gonna be this or some shitty apartment in Henrietta that probably has a meth lab next door. You've got two friends who are offering you a place to stay..."

"I can't live with Gansey," Adam said, jaw clenching.

"Then fucking don't," Ronan said. "You like it here, I know you do. This isn't about charity either, my parents like you a lot."

Adam turned away from him, rubbing his nose. "I don't wanna talk about this right now, it's the middle of the night."

"Fine," Ronan said, sighing. He got up off the bed, wrapping his arms around the box to hold it against his chest. He didn't move to leave just yet though, as something was still tugging painfully at the inside of his chest. "If Blue asked you to stay with her, would you?"

Adam looked up at him. Ronan looked back. This had suddenly become a very dangerous conversation, and Ronan knew that one wrong slip would leave a wall of silence between them for God-knew-how-long. 

Did Adam understand? His head tilted a little as he looked at Ronan, and the silence was definitely extending into the range of awkward now. 

Ronan coughed. "Sorry," he muttered. "I didn't mean that."

"I'll think about it, okay?" Adam said quietly.

"Sure," Ronan said. "Night, Parrish."

"G'night Lynch."

***

The following morning Niall had the house to himself. Ronan and Adam had gone into town, Aurora and Matthew had gone to help an elderly neighbor with some housework. After his daily chores were done, Niall showered and then went to sit himself down at his desk. For a few seconds he just sat there, cracking his knuckles and staring out the little window at the side yard. There was so much he needed to do that he would have been tempted to write up a list if he wasn't so worried about someone finding it. 

Shifting, Niall felt underneath the desk until he found the small key he kept tucked away in a crevice between two pieces of wood. The key fit the bottom drawer of the desk, which Niall unlocked to reveal a series of hanging folders full of papers. He fell still for yet another second or two, before finally reaching down to take out the contents of one folder. 

A stack of invoices, none of them for farm related things and all of them written in Declan's neat and tidy hand. Niall set them on the desk top and rested one palm flat on top of them, as though he could somehow summon up the memory of his son through the ink. Then he lifted his palm to see what the invoice on top was for. 

A feather from an angel's wing. Supposedly. That had been one of Niall's dream things, a long, impossibly soft white feather that shone with an opalescent sheen. It had no special abilities of its own besides being remarkably beautiful, and a collector of biblical paraphernalia had paid a handy sum for it.

The next invoice caught his eye as well, because someone had drawn a tiny bumblebee in ballpoint pen on the corner of it. 

Niall looked at his cellphone. It was just after ten, which meant that in Vancouver it would be after seven. Certainly not too early.

He felt a slight twinge of nerves as he picked up his phone and dialed a number from memory, then held the phone to his ear. 

It rang exactly twice before a low, accented female voice answered, saying, "I had a vision once that someone had murdered you. I was beginning to think that one had come true."

"Some days I wish it was," Niall said, still mostly holding his breath.

"Self-pity does not suit you."

He let out his breath. "I've changed."

"I think that is a lie."

"Even you are wrong sometimes."

There was a quiet laugh, and then, "And sometimes even I miss your...assholery. It is good to hear your voice again Niall."

"Seondeok," Niall said, smiling a little, finally. "Please forgive me, I know I haven't been a good friend lately."

Seondeok made a noise that might have been a derisive scoff. "We are not friends. Friends do not do the things that we have done to each other. Aurora is my friend. How is she?"

"She's well enough," Niall said. "I'll give her your regards."

"I do not think this was just a social call. What has happened?"

"Greenmantle," Niall said. "He called to say he knows who killed Declan."

Seondeok was silent for a long time. Then she said, "Do you believe him?"

"Does it matter?"

"And what," she continued, "does this have to do with me?"

Now it was Niall's turn for a long silence, though his was edged with the sound of his ragged breaths. "I think I'm about to do something very foolish."

"That could be the title of your autobiography," Seondeok said flatly. 

Niall didn't laugh. "Seon, it's my fault that Declan was killed. And if I'm not careful I'm going to lose Ronan and Matthew too."

"Then be careful," Seondeok said. "You claim you have changed, prove it." 

"I might need your help," he said, tracing the edge of a stain on the desktop with his thumbnail. "I know Greenmantle has been a pain in your ass as much as the others', if I come up with a plan, will you help me?"

"You want to start a war?"

"No, I want to start a revolution. Greenmantle has taken far too many liberties,  _someone_ needs to put him in check."

Seondeok hummed, skeptically.

Niall rested his elbows on the desk. "Queen Seondeok of Silla, the first queen of Korea," he said. "Generous, vicious and wise. Known for her encouragement of a renaissance of thought, art and science. She was a respected leader."

"I am so glad you discovered Wikipedia," Seondeok said. "Come to me when you have a real plan. I will consider it."

"Thank you."

Seondeok let out a breath. "I will be there in the fall for Parents' Day at Aglionby. Will I see you?"

"I'd like that," Niall said. "I'll try to have something by then."

"Good." 

Realizing she had hung up, Niall took the phone away from his ear and looked at it with a humorless laugh.  "Good," he echoed to himself.

***

Ronan was sitting on the floor of Monmouth manufacturing, the puzzle box in his lap, watching Gansey work on his model of Henrietta. Nearby, Chainsaw was going through the contents of Gansey's trash can. Adam had a short shift at Boyd's that morning, and the plan was to pick him up afterwards and then all of them would go to Nino's for lunch so they could get Blue when she was done with her shift. Noah was there too, but he seemed to be fading that day.

Chainsaw hopped over to Ronan and set a bottlecap on his knee. She cocked her head at him. "Kerah!"

"Thanks, bird," Ronan said, reaching over to scratch her head with one fingertip. Satisfied, Chainsaw bounced back to resume her rummaging.

Gansey glanced up. "That's cute."

Ronan grunted. He scratched the back of his head. "So. My dad."

"Yeah." Gansey absently tapped the glue bottle in his hand against his chin. "You're sure that whatever he has in the barn is... alive?"

"It rattled the doors."

"You're sure it wasn't a cow or a horse or something? You do live on a farm," Gansey said. "Maybe he got Matthew a puppy."

"If he got Matt a puppy he would've just given it to him," Ronan said. "And he wouldn't have locked a cow or a horse up like that."

Gansey hummed thoughtfully. "How  _is_  Matthew, by the way?"

"He's..." Ronan shrugged. "He's okay, I guess. He doesn't seem to really want to talk about it. He wasn't physically hurt too bad but it freaked him out. He's been glued to Mom's side since then."

"Well, that's something," Gansey put the cap back on the glue then scooted closer to Ronan, reaching out to take the puzzle box from him. "And speaking of being something, Ronan you never cease to amaze me. What even is  _this_  language?" He pointed at one of the sides of the box.

Ronan shrugged. "How the hell should I know? You're the linguist."

"I'm not, really, but I am intrigued," Gansey said. "We'll bring this along to lunch though, if it is a translator it could be useful." He set the box down and looked at Ronan again. "You know he's going to figure it out eventually. Your 'secret.'" He made air quotes.

Ronan's head snapped up. He stared at Gansey, wondering if he was possibly saying what Ronan thought he was saying, wondering how the hell he had--

"Your dreaming?" Gansey said, blinking slowly at the look Ronan was giving him. "Your dad. He's going to figure it out.... why are you looking at me like that? What did you think I meant?"

"Nothing," Ronan said, letting out a long breath. "Right. Yeah. No, I know that, but the longer I can put it off—dude stop, seriously. I had no idea what you meant."

"Okay, okay," Gansey said. "I'm just saying, I'm not going to tell you to stop, but it might be worth considering that your dad may have a reason for not wanting you to dream."

"Whatever. Hey, you know what your town needs? A giant fucking bird marching down main street." 

Gansey's brain didn't have time to catch up with the abrupt change of subject, because by the time he realized what Ronan was doing, a slightly disgruntled Chainsaw had been deposited right in the middle of the town square. "Ronan!" he sighed, because Chainsaw looked very much like she thought one of the street signs belonged with her pile of garbage. 

Ronan just cackled.

***

Nino's was crowded that afternoon, but they managed to get their usual table, covering it with a spread of books and papers and of course the puzzle box. Blue kept wandering over whenever she could between waiting on other tables, and all in all it would have been a very pleasant afternoon if Ronan's mind hadn't already been a million miles away. Somehow family issues felt more pressing than Glendower and the ley line, though he wasn't sure he wanted to tell Gansey that.

Blue wrapped her arms around his shoulders, standing next to his end of the booth. "Hey," she said. "You look like someone just kicked your new kitten. What's wrong?"

"I think you were right," Ronan said quietly.

"About what?" 

Adam and Noah were hunched over something Gansey was pointing at, none of them seemed to be paying attention to Blue and Ronan, but he still spoke in a low voice, "I think my brother's death did have something to do with mine and my dad's abilities."

"Oh," Blue said, frowning. She squeezed his shoulders a little tighter. "Do you know what?"

Ronan shook his head. He inhaled sharply through his nose, then breathed out through his teeth before plucking at Blue's arm. "I gotta go piss."

Blue made a face at him but stepped aside so he could get up, and he could feel her eyes on his back as he crossed the restaurant to the little hall that led to the bathrooms. 

He was just knocking to see if anyone was in there when someone behind him let out a quiet laugh.

"Lynch, haven't seen you in this neck of the woods in a few days...daddy keeping you locked up at the farm?"

Ronan swung his head around, eyes narrowed. "What d'you want, Kavinsky?"

"Not many people keep racing interesting," Kavinsky said. He stood crookedly, one hand in the pocket of his oversized jeans, the other picking at a notice taped to the wall. He had his head tipped down so he could look at Ronan over the top of his sunglasses, his eyes looked a little bloodshot. "Seriously man, when are you gonna stop being such a daddy's boy and start having fun again? You're telling me you get one speeding ticket and suddenly you're mister golden boy?"

"Fuck off," Ronan said, starting to pull the bathroom door open.

Kavinsky threw his arm out, holding the door closed. He grinned wickedly, using one finger to tug his glasses down. "I even brought you a present, princess."

"No thanks," Ronan said, trying to decide which was less appealing; putting his hands on Kavinsky to move him out of the way, or just holding it until he could get back to Monmouth.

"Now now that's not very nice," Kavinsky said. His hand disappeared into his pocket, and when he pulled it out again he had a tangle of leather bands hanging from his fingers, identical to the ones Ronan wore around his wrist. He held them out to Ronan, still grinning.

Ronan raised an eyebrow. "Gee. Thanks. They go with everything."

"Like your mom," said Kavinsky, looking pleased with himself.

"Say something else about my mom, you shit-talking Jersey Shore piece of trash motherfucker," Ronan growled.

"Bougie Irish bastard," Kavinsky said, good naturedly. He dropped the leather bands at Ronan's feet, then tapped his knuckles against Ronan's shoulder. "Listen, Lynch, I heard you talking to Dick back there. I know you're starting to chafe at that leash your dad has on you. Come see me when you're ready to stop being such a good little Christian boy. I'm not just talking about street racing either." He pointed down at the leather bands. "Take a close look at those. Ciao, fuckface." And with a nearly lascivious smirk he turned around and strode back out into the restaurant, bobbing his head in time with the tinny music playing overhead. 

When Ronan returned to the table, all eyes turned to him. Blue was leaning on the table beside Adam, the very tips of their pinky fingers touching. It was impossible to say if this was intentional or not, but for some reason it made the itchy, restless feeling that Kavinsky had given him get only worse. Ronan threw himself down into the booth across from Adam.

"Was that Joseph Kavinsky I saw coming out of the hall a minute ago?" Gansey asked. 

Ronan lifted his wrist to his mouth, chewing on his bracelet. "Yeah, what about him?" he said. 

"What'd he want with you?" Blue asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Why are you so goddamn nosy lately?" Ronan shot back. He was being unfair, he knew. He liked Blue. She didn't give a shit what other people thought of her and above all else she was honest and genuine. If Ronan had a sister, Blue Sargent was almost exactly what he'd hope she'd be like. And yet right now he felt only anger and annoyance towards her, but even he didn't know exactly why.

Blue's eyes flashed and she gave him a furiously hurt look. "Why are you being such an asshole to me lately? You're such a dick, you know that?"

The others were glaring at him too, even Noah. Ronan let out a harsh breath and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and his head in his hands, eyes closed. He heard Gansey whisper something to one of the others, but he didn't know or care what it was. A second later he felt someone grab the sleeve of his t-shirt and tug on it.

"Outside, now," Blue said. "Get up."

Ronan looked at her. "You wanna fight me, Maggot?"

"Yeah I wanna fight you," Blue said, rolling her eyes. "Just get your butt up, okay, Lynch? It's the least you can do after being so mean."

Ronan sighed and got up. He followed Blue outside and around to the back of the building. When they were standing beside a large, rusted green dumpster, Blue put her hands on her hips and turned to face him. "What's your problem, huh? Is this because I'm a girl? Is it because I'm the new kid? What is it?"

"No," Ronan said, kicking a flattened soda can with the toe of his boot. 

"Then what the hell is it? Because this is how you wind up without any friends and I know you're better than this."

Ronan looked up and away. The street to their left rippled with the heat, and the grass along the shoulder of the road looked parched and bleached by the sun. A convertible full of Aglionby boys  _wooshed_ by, the sound of their raucous laughter fading away. 

And then Blue asked, in a quiet, disbelieving tone, "...Are you  _jealous_  of me?"

"What would I be jealous of?" Ronan asked, still not looking at her.

"I don't know," Blue said. "But I need you to get it through your thick skull that you  _cannot_  talk to me like that, okay? And the next time you do you're going to have one less friend. Got it?"

He felt a twinge of guilt. It was bad enough that he finally looked her in the eye. "Next time won't happen," he said. "I'm..." Apologizing was not usually something he did, despite everything his mother had told him. Still, he wrinkled his nose and said, "I'm sorry, Sargent, okay? I'm an asshole."

"You really are," Blue agreed, but she seemed mollified, giving him a playful little shove. "But I like you, Lynch. You just got some stuff to sort out, I think."

"Yeah, probably."

She tilted her head. "You know if you need to talk..."

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"...I'm sure Gansey's great for that," Blue finished, grinning widely.

Ronan snorted and reached over to pull her into a loose headlock and ruffle her hair. "Nutcase. Let's go back inside."

***'

Adam was exhausted by the time he and Ronan got back to the Barns. He'd had an evening shift, and Ronan had stayed in town the whole time, hanging out with Gansey at Monmouth before finally picking Adam up. Neither of them talked much on the way back, and Adam was grateful for that because he didn't think his mind could function enough to have an intelligent conversation.

Back at the house, Ronan went to hang out with Matthew and Adam took a quick shower than slipped into his room. The guest room. Had he really just thought of it as  _his_? He gave his head a little shake, then looked at the envelope lying on top of the low dresser. The Aglionby crest looked back at him, bold and intimidating. He had been putting off opening it for days, afraid of what it might say, but he knew he couldn't put it off any longer. 

Taking the envelope, Adam moved to sit on the end of the bed. He used his thumb to open the flap, then took out the single sheet of paper inside.

_Dear Mr. Parrish,_

_We are writing to inform you that tuition for next year will increase by..._

Adam's heart sank lower and lower into his stomach as he read. Numbers raced in his brain. Sure he could make that work  _now_  but if he tried to factor in rent for even one of the cheapest apartments he had seen the whole concept of 'making it work' became more like 'pay for food or pay your rent.' He closed his eyes, pressing the heel of his palm against his forehead. Frustration made his bones ache. He hated this. He hated that he tried so hard and that things just kept pulling the rug out from under them.

_Get yourself together_ , he thought bitterly. 

Taking a deep breath, Adam stood up. He folded the paper, but didn't set it down as he left his room and went back downstairs. Ronan and Matthew were still in the living room, but Adam walked past them and further down the hall to the office where, to Adam's relief, Niall was sitting at the desk writing a check.

Adam stood in the doorway. He cleared his throat. "Mr. Lynch? Do you have a minute?"

"Sure," Niall straightened, turning in his chair to face Adam. His gaze drifted to the letter in Adam's hands and he nodded. "I was wonderin' when you were going to open that. We got one for Ronan and Matt too."

"Yeah," Adam said, shifting.

Niall cocked his head. "When I said you could stay here as long as you need, I meant it."

"I don't just want to...freeload," Adam said, frowning. That didn't sound right, but he wasn't sure how to put it. "If I'm gonna stay here I'd like to, I don't know, pay rent or something."

"If there's one thing I don't need, it's money," Niall said, looking amused. 

Adam looked at him.

Niall rubbed his jaw thoughtfully, then leaned back in his chair, clasping his hands behind his head, fingers laced together. "I'll tell you what I  _could_ use more of is help around the farm. Now I know you're workin' three jobs already... so what if in addition to room and board I'll pay you? You drop whichever of the other jobs you like the least, I'll match what they were paying. This isn't a charity offer, I do actually need another set of hands around this place, and it's hard work so it's not like I'll be overpayin' ya."

"I... don't really know anything about farm work," Adam said, but his heart had sped up a little.

"Ronan and I can show you everything you need to know," Niall said. He sat forward and moved his hands from behind his head, holding one out to Adam. "Deal?"

 Adam stared at the hand being offered him. No more late nights at the factory. No more hauling boxes for hours on end. A boss he liked. And most of all, he'd be  _here_ , where there was always enough food and the mornings were quiet and the nights were peaceful enough that he could actually sleep.

"Thank you, sir," Adam said, finally taking Niall's hand and shaking it. "I really, really appreciate it."

Niall squeezed his hand, then let go. "I wasn't much older than you when I moved myself from Belfast to Boston, you know. No friends here, no family, a few dollars to my name. I understand what it is to fight for your own independence. But if there's one thing I've learned from Aurora it's that  _family—_ real family that is—is not a crutch, it's something we all need. You're a good lad, Adam. You're important to Ronan, you work hard, you're going to do amazing things in your life, I know you are."

Adam's face burned. He didn't know what to say to any of that and felt embarrassed, so all he could do was nod while staring down at his shoes.

"Alright," Niall said quietly. "Go on. Tell Matt and Ronan to turn that TV down, Aurora and I are going to be turnin' in soon."

"Thank you, sir," Adam mumbled again as he turned and quickly headed out of the room, mind whirling. He went down the hall to the living room, looking at Ronan and Matthew on the couch. "Hey. Your, um, your dad said to turn the TV down."

" _Pbbbbbffff_ ," Ronan replied, but he grabbed the remote and did so anyway. Then he looked at Adam. "You okay, Parrish?"

Adam rubbed his nose, nodding. "Yeah I'm...fine. I'm... I'm gonna stay here. I just talked to your dad about it. I'm going to work for him a little but... I'll be staying." 

"Oh," said Ronan, visibly fighting back a smile. He nodded. "Cool. Hey c'mere you should take a turn trying to race Matt I'm getting tired of winning..."

Adam hesitated a moment, then he smiled, just a little, and went to join the Lynch brothers on the couch.


	4. Chapter 4

Early that Friday evening, just after dinner time, Ronan, Gansey and Noah were loitering in the Henrietta Dollar City. Both Blue and Adam had to work, which meant that the other three had to wait, and they'd grown sick of waiting at Monmouth. The store clerk had been eyeing them warily the whole time they were there though whether this was because they were teenagers or because Ronan had Chainsaw tucked into the crook of his arm was anyone's guess. They were, for the moment, stopped in an aisle that contained wildly out of season Christmas decorations.  

Noah had picked up a snow globe and was repeatedly turning it over and right side up again, watching the vortex of glitter inside the same way someone might look at a new puppy that had just been placed in their arms.

Ronan was eyeballing a pile of foil wrapped chocolate Santas. "Hey, what if I just spent my entire inheritance on these things? Like, who's going to stop me?"

"Your father, for one," Gansey said, raising his eyebrows. "I'm pretty sure he'd disown you, at the very least. Also I'm not sure there's five million chocolate Santas in the entire inventory of all the Dollar Cities in the country, so you might be out of luck."

"Listen to you, Mr. Logical," Ronan said. "Also Dad's not giving me five million dollars when I turn eighteen he's giving me three million."

Gansey blinked. "That's all?"

"Jesus fuck, man," Ronan said, laughing. "See  _this_  is exactly why Adam doesn't want to live with you."

"He didn't say he  _wouldn't_ live with me, he said he would have to think about it," Gansey said.

Ronan was silent for a second, looking at Gansey. Then he said, "He told my dad the other day that he's going to stay with us."

"Oh," Gansey did a good job schooling his expression, but for a half of a heartbeat he looked a little hurt. Ronan didn't know if this was from Adam rejecting his offer or from the fact that neither of them had told Gansey until now. Then in the next heartbeat, that Richard Campbell Gansey smile was back. "Well, that's good. I'm glad he feels comfortable staying there and I'm glad your parents have taken such a liking to him. He needs support right now."

"Yeah," Ronan said, raising his eyebrows. He was about to say more but decided that was probably Adam's place to tell. What he did instead was lightly nudge Gansey's shoulder. "Hey, don't take it personally, okay?"

"I'm not," Gansey said. "You know, the more I think about it the more it makes sense that he would want to put some distance between himself and the city, I mean, his father—"

The lights overhead flickered. Noah let out a little gasp of, " _oh_ " before he vanished, the snow globe falling to the floor, where it shattered. At the same time it felt like someone had cranked the air conditioning up far past ideal temperatures, so much that when Ronan exhaled his breath came out in a white cloud.

"What the hell," he said. 

Gansey looked at him, wide eyed. "The ley line, I think it's…"

The lights steadied. Noah stepped out from behind Gansey, like he had been crouching on the floor by his feet the whole time. He looked down at the shattered snow globe and sighed.

Ronan glared at him. "A little warning next time would be nice."

"I didn't know," Noah mumbled.

Gansey rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm going to go get something to clean this up with. And pay for it, before we get yelled at."

***

Across town Adam was sitting in the tiny and cluttered employee break room at Boyd's, taking a minute to eat the peanut butter and jelly sandwich that Aurora had insisted he bring with him. There was only one other employee there with him that late, so the shop was unusually quiet except for the boom box in the main garage. 

Someone knocked on the open door. Adam turned around and was surprised to see Blue standing there. "Hey," he said, standing up and shoving the last bite of sandwich into his mouth.

"Hey." Blue stepped into the room, looking around and wrinkling her nose a little at the waste basket overflowing with fast food wrappers and the microwave that looked like it probably needed to be scrubbed out with steel wool and sulfuric acid to ever hope of being thoroughly clean again. "Gansey said you were working tonight. I was on my way to Nino's, I thought I'd stop by… haven't seen you much the past couple days."

Adam shifted, rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh, yeah…well, um, I'm gonna be staying at Ronan's place, and Mr. Lynch is going to pay me to help out around the farm so I don't have to work at the factory anymore, so I've been spending a lot of time down there."

"Oh," Blue said, looking surprised. "You're staying there? Like, for real for real?"

"Uhuh," Adam said. 

"What'd Gansey think of that?"

Adam shrugged.

"Right," Blue said, tilting her head a little.

Adam frowned. "What?"

" _What_  what?"

"Why're you looking at me like that?"

Blue looked bemused. "Like with my eyes?"

"Like you're thinking 'thank god he made a sensible choice'," Adam said. "That's exactly why I haven't told Gansey, because he'd somehow manage to be condescending about it. I would've figured something out even if Mr. Lynch hadn't offered, this just happens to be convenient for me."

"Excuse me?!" Blue said, glaring at him. "I didn't say anything like that, and I wasn't going to. We're your friends, Adam, we care about you."

"Then why do you all keep looking at me like I'm some… I dunno, injured animal?" Adam asked. Snapped might have been the better word. He knew he was losing his temper, he could feel the anger clawing at the inside of his skull but it was too late, just like his father he was either fine, or he was angry, there was no real warning and no chance to stop it. He didn't even  _want_  to be angry at Blue, but it was like his fury and annoyance had target locked right on her and he'd already pulled the trigger. His nostrils flared, fingers clenching at his side. "I'm not that pitiful!"

The minute he snapped the words, the lights went out. The power was only out for a second or two, but in that second everything except the battery-operated boom box shut off.

For a second or two all Adam heard was his labored breathing and Kurt Cobain's voice singing tinnily –  _Take your time, hurry up, the choice is yours, don't be late…_

The lights came back on. The microwave on the counter beeped. Out in the garage Joe was cursing about something.

Blue was staring at Adam with wide eyes. 

Adam blinked at her, all of his fury melting away in that one instant when he saw the look on her face. He looked up at the shop light hanging over their heads, then back at Blue, who had taken a step backwards towards the doors.

"I didn't…" Adam began. "That wasn't… that wasn't me, Blue! Did you think I did  _that_? I didn't do that."

"I should… I should go," Blue said, rocking on the balls of her feet a little. Her gaze was still wary, and this was at least ten times worse than what Adam had taken to be pity. This didn't make him angry, this just made him feel… sick. Deep in the pit of his stomach sick.

Adam held up his hand, not making a move towards her, not making a move to even reach out for her. "I'm real sorry," he said quietly. "I shouldn't've yelled at you."

Blue's shoulders relaxed, but her mouth twisted a little. "First Ronan and now you. I know you guys are having your own issues but I'd really appreciate it if people would stop taking it out on  _me_."

"It's not fair," Adam agreed, looking down at his feet. He was already trying to figure out how to make it up to her. He couldn't really afford to take her out anywhere, and besides, unless he could convince Ronan to lend him his car—unlikely, since he had already taken it without asking once—he would have to get a ride to his date like some middle schooler. Maybe he could think of something else. Looking up at Blue he hoped he appeared earnest when he said, "I really am sorry. And I swear, I  _swear_  I didn't do anything just now. I think it must have been the ley line like…surging or something, I dunno."

"Okay," Blue said, and now it sounded like she might have believed him. The smile she gave him was a little tight, but she did step forward to touch his arm as she said, "I'll see you soon, okay? Maybe call me sometime?"

Adam nodded. "Yeah. G'night Blue." As he watched her turn and start navigating her way out he let out a long sigh, lifting one hand to his face.

***

 Niall felt restless. It was a restless kind of night. The air blowing in the small window of the master bathroom smelled like far off rain, and the usual evening insects were quiet. Ronan and Adam had been acting strange when they got back earlier as well. Neither really said much, but Niall had caught them exchanging glances every so often throughout the evening.

Standing in front of the sink, brushing his teeth in just his pajama bottoms, Niall glanced up at the row of lights above the mirror. One bulb had burned out and he frowned at it, struck with a sudden thought.

Aurora padded into the room. Her hair hung over one shoulder in a long braid and she wore satin sleep pants in pale blue and a white cotton t-shirt. She yawned, stepping up next to Niall and reaching for her own brush. Then she hesitated. "What is it?"

Niall spat out a mouthful of toothpaste, straightened and said, "I think Ronan and Adam are doin' something with the ley line." 

"Oh," Aurora frowned a little. "Really?"

"Think about it, 'Rora," he said. "That night it woke, that was the night Adam took Ronan's car, that can't be a coincidence. And they were both acting strange tonight and you felt it surging earlier..."

She nodded slowly, then looked down at her hand, which she flexed a few times. "I felt that right in my bones," she said. "Are you going to talk to them? The ley line isn't something they should be playing with. Do you think it has something to do with Gansey's dead king?"

"That's what brought him here," Niall said, rinsing his toothbrush, then turning to lean back against the counter and watch Aurora. "They're up to something. I was just hoping it was normal kid things."

Aurora hummed and nodded and finally started brushing her teeth, though there was still a faint crease between her pale eyebrows. After a moment, Niall pushed off the counter, turning so he could wrap his arms around her, resting his chin on top of her head. Aurora smiled a little, leaning back against him.

Niall sighed, closing his eyes and burying his nose in her hair for just a moment.

***

Once when Ronan was three years old he had awoken to fire. Now, in retrospect, the memory was like the memory of a nightmare, wispy and surreal, but the  _feelings_  he still remembered with acute clarity. Scalding heat had woken him: his bed, his nightstand, all were engulfed in flame. And Ronan had not been able to move because (as he now knew) he had just brought the source of the flames out of his dream.

_At the east gate of Eden He placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life._

The first thing Ronan had begun to do when he could move again was cry. He still remembered how his lungs burned, both from the smoke and from the frightened, ragged sobs that he had let out.

He remembered the door flying open. Declan, tall for four years old but still only a small child himself and rushed in without fear of the leaping flames to pull the bed guard away and grab Ronan. Still wailing, Ronan had clung tightly to Declan even as his burn-proof pajamas (thank God Niall Lynch had a good sense of forethought) fell away in shreds.

Stumbling, Declan had dragged Ronan out of the burning room as Niall rushed in with a fire extinguisher. 

Ronan had refused to be taken from his brother. He had held onto him even after the fire was out, even after his tears had stopped, even when the paramedics arrived and put bandages on the thankfully very minor burns he and Declan had sustained.

And then, after all the chaos was over, the two brothers sat together on the couch in clean pajamas, Ronan curled tightly against Declan, who held him stoically. Niall had come in and walked over to them, and rested his hand on Declan's hair and whispered, "Thank you."

***

Sometime late in the middle of the night, Adam was awoken by someone pressing their hand over his mouth. For a second he panicked as he awoke to darkness and the hand. Gasping, he struggled, gearing up to punch whoever it was and fight them off, but before he could Ronan's voice hissed, "Parrish, it's just me!"

The minute Ronan moved his hand Adam sat up. "What the hell?"

"Shhh!" In the fuzzy semi-darkness Ronan looked at him with wide, frantic eyes, holding a finger to his lips. His hair was mussed, and from the faint orange light coming in from the security light outside, Adam could see Ronan's forehead was beaded with sweat. When they locked gazes, Ronan lowered the finger from his lips to point at the closed door.

Adam frowned, looking at it.

From the other side there came a sound. A low, furniture-being-dragged-on-wood sound followed by a strange, rapid click-click-click-click.

"I fucked up," Ronan whispered, also looking at the door. "I brought something--"

There was a thud from outside, like something being knocked off a table.

"I brought something out of a nightmare."

Adam felt a chill run down his spine. "Jesus. What do we do?"

Ronan shook his head, running his fingers through his hair.

The floorboards outside the room creaked, and then the sound moved away, like whatever was outside was moving down the hall towards—

" _Shit_ ," Ronan gasped, no longer whispering. "Matthew-!" 

Any hesitation was now gone. He sprang from the bed and bolted to the door, throwing it open. Adam jumped up as well, reaching the door just as Ronan threw on the hall light and whatever was out there let out a horrible, croaking, inhuman cry.

Adam looked out into the hallway and froze.

It was a demon. It was a monster. It was an abomination. A vaguely humanoid, huddled shape with too many claws and eyes and two shiny black beaks that opened the wrong way as it screamed again.

"Ronan?!" Matthew's door was open, and he was standing just inside when the creature stepped in front of it. The thing, the night horror, rounded on him and shoved him out into the hall and to the floor just as the door at the far end of the hall opened and Niall lunged out, wielding some kind of heavy walking stick.

"Aurora!" he barked. "Get Matt down the back stairs. You two!" He pointed past the creature to Adam and Ronan. "Front stairs, we need to get this thing out of the house!" 

For a second Adam was frozen, but thankfully so was the night horror, swinging from side to side as it tried to focus on one of the two groups. A stony-faced Aurora pulled Matthew to his feet and the two of them disappeared around a bend in the hall. Then the night horror screamed again and the sound snapped Adam out of his momentary paralysis.

"Ronan,  _come on_!" He grabbed Ronan by the arm, dragging him towards the staircase. 

Ronan stumbled a little but followed. They made it about halfway down the stairs before Adam heard a  _whoosh_  and the sound of claws on wood, then something collided with them, sending them pitching forward the rest of the way down to the first floor, where the two boys landed in a heap.

"Jesus Mary shit  _fuck_ ," Ronan gasped, rolling off of Adam and clutching his side. "Parrish, are you wounded?"

Adam groaned. He was going to have some new bruises, that was sure, and he could taste blood but nothing felt broken. "I'm good, I'm good, where's the thing??"

The night horror had vaulted right over them and was now in the first floor hallway. A second later Niall reached them and hauled first Adam then Ronan to their feet, then stepped between them and the night horror, brandishing the stick like a club. Every muscle in his body was tense.

The night horror wasn't looking at them, its attention had turned to the brightly lit kitchen doorway and the figure that stood in it.

"MOM!" Ronan shouted, more raw fear in his voice than Adam had ever heard before.

The night horror took two steps down the hall towards Aurora, its head weaving like a predator tracking prey. A framed photo was knocked off the wall with a crash. Aurora did not flinch, she just stood there, shoulders squared, hands behind her back, even as the creature continued to advance on her.

Niall did not move. 

"Mom get out of the way!" Ronan cried out. He tried to lunge forward but Niall threw one arm out to stop him. Ronan let out a grunt. "Dad  _help her_  what the fuck are you doing?!"

The night horror coiled back and then sprang the last few feet, landing with a house-shaking crash right in front of Aurora, the tip of its glossy beaks a mere hair's breadth from her face—and in that instant Aurora stuck out, driving the butcher's knife she'd been holding into the side of where the creature's head would have been. She drove it in with such speed and force that the blade disappeared all the way to the handle.

The night horror screamed, but the sound dissolved into a nauseating gurgle as it crumpled to the floor. Black, oily blood sprayed all up the wall and across Aurora’s shirt and face, and still she stood there, motionless and silent, watching as the heap of cloth and feathers twitched and shuddered and finally fell still.

When Adam glanced at Ronan, he saw that the other boy's mouth was hanging open in absolute shock. 

"Whoa," said Adam.

"Mom what the  _hell_ ," said Ronan.

"That's my girl," said Niall.

Letting out a breath, Aurora looked back over her shoulder into the kitchen, presumably to check on Matthew, before she stepped over the body of the night horror and walked down the hall to the rest of them.

"Mom," Ronan said again, his eyes still wide. "What. The. Hell."

Aurora smiled vaguely, reaching out to put her hand against his cheek. "It's a mother's job to get rid of nightmares, my darling. Now will you boys please get that thing out of my house? I need to take a shower." And with that she stepped past them and started up the stairs.

Adam turned to watch her, then looked back at Niall, who was scratching the back of his head. "Is she okay?"

"I'll keep an eye on her," Niall said, the corner of his mouth twitching in a knowing smile. "Ronan, check on your brother, then see if ya can't move that thing. There should be a tarp somewhere, if you can just put it in the tool shed I'll deal with it." He patted Ronan's shoulder, then moved to follow his wife back upstairs.

Still gaping, Ronan looked at Adam, but Adam could only shrug.

From the kitchen doorway Matthew exclaimed, "Did you guys see that?! Wow I didn't know Mom was so badass!"

"Yeah," Ronan said, eyebrows raised. "Yeah apparently she is."

***

The following day, Gansey came to the Barns. Ronan was waiting alone beside the driveway when Gansey pulled the Pig to a stop and got out. 

"Hey," Gansey said, bumping fists with Ronan. "What's up?"

"Come around back with me," Ronan said. "I've got to show you something."

Raising his eyebrows, Gansey gestured for Ronan to lead the way around the garage, past the raised beds of the vegetable garden and a load of bedsheets hanging on clotheslines towards a little equipment shed behind the house, looked around to make sure they were alone, and pushed the door open.

"Jesus," Gansey said, wrinkling his nose before he had even seen anything. A smell like rotting plant matter and sour milk and ammonia wafted out of the shed. Waving one hand in front of his nose, he stepped forward and peered into the shadows inside. Then he said again, louder, " _Jesus_. Ronan what is that?"

"I had a nightmare," Ronan said, hanging on the door a little and tilting his head as he too gazed at the crumpled pile inside the shed. "That thing came out of it."

Gansey squinted, steeling himself to take a step inside and look at it closer. "Is that a knife handle?"

"Heh. Yeah." Ronan smirked. "Mom stabbed it in the face with a  kitchen knife."

"Excuse me?" Gansey looked at him, blinking. "...hang on, can you close that door? This thing reeks." And then once Ronan had closed the shed again, Gansey rounded on him with, "Your  _mother_  killed it? Your mother. Aurora Lynch."

Ronan looked at him. "I've only got the one."

"She's just so..." Gansey gestured vaguely.

"Yeah," Ronan said. "Everyone looked surprised except Dad."

Gansey mulled that over but didn't know how to deal with it just yet, so he filed it away for later. Instead he next asked, "What was your nightmare about?"

Ronan shifted. For a second Gansey wasn't sure he would answer, and then he said quietly, "My brother. Declan, I mean." When Gansey just continued to stare at him he shrugged and stuck his hands in his pockets. "I don't really remember the details. But he was there, and I was still scared when I woke up, and even then that  _thing_  was still there."

"It might have been a good thing that  _that_  was what came out," Gansey said, chancing a side long look at Ronan.

"I don't know if you can bring whole people out," Ronan said. 

Gansey gestured at the shed. "You brought that out."

"There's a long way between that and a person."

"I dunno," Gansey said, squinting a little. "It looks quite a bit like Mr. Craner..." 

The two of them dissolved into snickers of laughter. The back door slammed and they both looked up. Niall, hair still wet from the shower he must have just taken, was coming down off the back porch. "Gansey, hello," he said, waving. "What're you two up to?"

"Stuff," said Ronan, shrugging. "Nothing exciting."

Gansey began to wonder if Ronan didn't lie simply because he was really bad at it.

It didn’t help that Niall wasn’t easily fooled, either. His gaze moved from them to the equipment shed, then he muttered, "Jesus  _fuck_ , Ronan."

Spitting image, copy paste father and son.

Ronan rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Dad, did you really think they didn't know?! You think Adam would've been as calm as he was last night if he didn't already know I could pull shit from my dreams?"

"What happened to not tellin' anyone, ay?!" Niall said, furious as a storm cloud. "There's a reason I told you not to! You need to bloody listen to me sometimes, you know that?"

"I trust them!" Ronan said.

Niall's nostrils flared. "' _Them_ '?! Who else is 'them'?!"

"It's just Blue and Noah," Gansey said quickly. "We haven't told anyone else about you two, Mr. Lynch, I promise."

"Jaysus," Niall sighed, rubbing his forehead. He pointed at Ronan. "You're going to be the damned death of me, you know that? When I say don't do something, you don't do it!"

Ronan looked a lot like Chainsaw when she spotted something that might be a threat across the room. There was even something about the way the wind was ruffling his hair just then that gave the impression of feathers. He gazed at his father. "Blue's from a family of psychics. Gansey came back from the dead. Noah  _is_ dead and Adam's tied himself to a magical forest," he said, defiantly. Gansey almost laughed because it was the exact same tone he remembered Helen using when she'd gotten a tattoo of a butterfly on her shoulder without telling their parents first. Ronan's lip curled. "If anyone should know about us, it's them. Not everyone likes to keep secrets from the people they care about."

"Excuse me," Niall said, voice low and dangerous.

"I know there's shit you're not telling me," Ronan said, refusing to back down or look away. "About Mom. About what you did that got you so much money. About what we are. About why Declan died."

Gansey looked at him in shock. The statement clearly had taken Niall by surprise as well. He sucked in his cheeks and rubbed his jaw but managed to remain calm. 

"This isn't a game," he said finally.

"No one said it was," Ronan replied.

Niall stared long and hard at them both, then abruptly as a book falling off a shelf his expression changed. "Hang on, what did you say about Adam?"

"Nothing really, Ronan's just being dramatic," Gansey said, flashing a smile. He didn't think Niall needed to know about Cabeswater just yet. Slapping Ronan on the back he said, "C'mon Lynch, I'm parched. Let's go find something to drink..."

Moving past the still deeply suspicious looking Niall, they headed up the back steps and into the kitchen. Adam was sitting at the table, looking dusty and worn out and holding a glass of lemonade that Aurora had just handed him. He glanced up when they entered. "Oh, hey Gansey, I didn't know you were here..."

"Only just arrived," Gansey said, smiling. He nodded to Aurora. "Mrs. Lynch, hello, good to see you! Parrish - how's farm life treating you so far?"

"It's exhausting but I like it," Adam said, nodding. "It's nice being outside without so many people around."

Gansey sat down next to Adam, reaching for an empty glass and the lemonade pitcher. Ronan, however, did not sit. He remained standing by the fridge, watching his mother.

"Hey, Mom?" he said, in such a strange tone that both Gansey and Adam turned in their seats to look at him.

Aurora was rinsing a bunch of cilantro by the sink. She looked up and smiled. "What is it, sweetheart?"

"How did you and Dad meet?"

Gansey frowned. The question felt...strange, somehow. Glancing at Adam he saw that he too had his head tilted in a curious way.

Aurora did not answer immediately, preoccupied with getting a clean dishtowel down to dry the bundle of herbs on. Then with a distracted little shake of her head, she looked back at Ronan again. "Sorry. What was that?"

"You and Dad," Ronan said. "How did you meet?"

"Oh, it wasn't very interesting," Aurora said, moving to get a cutting board and a knife. Gansey couldn't help but notice that one slot in the knife block was conspicuously empty. 

Ronan reached out and lightly caught her arm. "Mom," he said, a little more urgently. "Do you... do you not know?"

Aurora stopped and turned to face him, and then she laughed. "And what do you mean by that? How would I not know? I met your father in Boston, we used to both like to walk down by Castle Island in Southie and we kept running into each other."

"In Boston," Ronan repeated.

"Oh, Ronan," Aurora said, laughing gently again. She reached out and cupped his face in her hands. "Are you alright? I need to go get something from the garden, I'll be right back." She kissed Ronan on the forehead, then turned and went outside, not bothering to put any shoes on.

Ronan moved to the sink, looking out the window into the yard. After a second he looked back at Gansey and Adam and said, in a completely baffled voice, "I think my mom was lying to me just now."


	5. Chapter 5

The Gray Man was beginning to feel like he was not so much looking for a needle in a haystack as he was looking for an unknown needle-sized object in a whole hay field. His past few days of scouring Henrietta with the magical equivalent of a metal detector had turned up plenty of unusual readings, but none of these readings had actually turned out to be anything like what Greenmantle had him looking for. So far, all he'd managed to determine was that Henrietta was not an ordinary small Virginian town, if such a thing even existed in the first place.

Now he sat at a very retro lunch counter in the town center, mulling over a tuna fish sandwich about how much he dreaded the impending call from his boss where he would have to admit he had no leads on where Niall Lynch would have put the Greywaren. 

Greenmantle seemed convinced it wouldn't be on the Lynch family property because Niall Lynch wouldn't be that stupid. The Gray Man thought Greenmantle might be giving Lynch too much credit. The Gray Man also thought Greenmantle might be a little too overly obsessed with Niall Lynch, but voicing such thoughts aloud wasn't worth his paycheck.

It was noon on a Sunday. Outside the sky was clear and bright. Children played in the park across the street, couples walked on the sidewalk, plants grew in flowerboxes outside store fronts, all in all a very wholesome, hundred-percent-home-grown Americana ideal.

The Gray Man ate the rest of his sandwich. Out in the street, a dark gray BMW pulled up into one of the spots by the front door of the drug store. The Gray Man got to his feet, and took his time fishing the money for his lunch out of his wallet.

The bell over the door tinkled pleasantly as it opened to admit a tall, striking man in his mid-forties, dressed in Sunday best. He had sharp eyes and a sharp face, and when the waitress behind the lunch counter greeted him the smile he gave her was charmingly and, in the Gray Man's opinion, a little more flirtatious than a smile should be coming from a man wearing a wedding ring.

Without warning the lights went out. The air conditioning fell silent. It would have been more dramatic if it wasn't the middle of the day, as such, the three occupants of the store merely glanced up.

Niall Lynch shook his head, exchanging a look with the waitress. "I'm tellin' ya, Susanne," he said. "All the money we're paying them, you'd think HEPCO would figure out how to keep the powerlines workin' in the summer..."

"I hear that," the waitress said, stepping over to collect the money the Gray Man had set out for her.

The Gray Man glanced at Niall Lynch, who had stopped to look at something on the magazine rack. Then the Gray Man looked down, feigning preoccupation with maneuvering a few dollars back into his wallet as he started towards the door.

He half collided with Niall Lynch. "Oof! Shit, sorry about that," he said, grimacing.

"You're alright," Lynch said with a good-humored laugh, patting the Gray Man on the shoulder.

This close, the Gray Man found himself wondering yet again how Matthew Lynch was this man's son. Maybe he just took after his mother. 

He flashed Lynch a friendly smile, which was just enough of a distraction for him to let a small metal object the size of a watch battery fall into Lynch's coat pocket without him noticing. Then the Gray Man left the store, walking a few spaces down to where his rental car was parked. He glanced at the dark BMW as he went and could see Mrs. Lynch in the front seat looking at her phone and the two living Lynch boys in the backseat.

The Gray Man got into his car and took out his cell phone. After a few minutes of fiddling with an app it finally connected to the tracker he had put in Lynch's pocket. It was a convenience really, it would allow the Gray Man to follow their car without being in eyesight of it. 

Despite what Greenmantle had suggested when they spoke earlier that day, the Gray Man was not actually going to do any intensive searching today. He just needed to know where the Lynches lived for future reference, because sooner or later he was certain he may need to end up there.

When Niall Lynch came back out of the store with a plastic bag in his hand and got into the BMW, the Gray Man finally put his keys in the ignition.

Patience, that was what it was going to take. He didn't like to rush things. Rushed things meant sloppiness.

He hated sloppiness.

***

Monday morning was a beautiful one—though, to be fair, Aurora thought most mornings were beautiful. She loved summer mornings where the sun set fire to the haze hanging over the fields. She loved autumn mornings that were gray and heavy and the world was painted in rich, earthy tones. She loved waking to snowfall. She loved waking to rain. She loved waking to raging storms because it felt so safe and comfortable inside the house.

She felt very lucky, in general, to have such a good life. Her only great sadness came from the part of her heart that had shattered the day she lost her oldest son. That would not fade anytime soon.

But this morning was good. It was cooler than the past few days had been, and dew still clung to the grass when she went to get some chives from the little pot next to the back steps. She never liked to put on shoes if she could help it, there was something wonderful about feeling the living grass against her skin.

The boys had all gone into town. Matthew was seeing a movie with his friends and Ronan and Adam were probably going on more adventures with Gansey. The house was calm and quiet, which she liked. 

Of course, she also liked when it was loud and full of busy life. She enjoyed having Adam here; he was not Declan, of course, but it felt right to have three boys in the house again. And besides, she loved the way he made Ronan smile. It was a special, secret smile too, different from the one Ronan used for his family. Aurora knew very well what that meant, and it reassured her that Ronan might not be as lost as he seemed sometimes. 

She wondered how long it would take Adam to recognize that smile too.

Aurora hummed softly to herself as she stood at the kitchen counter cutting up the chives, their smell wafting among the other familiar smells of the house.

The back door opened so suddenly that it hit the side of the refrigerator. Aurora did not jump, but she did look up immediately, then let out a quiet gasp, putting a hand to her mouth.

Niall was in the doorway, face contorted in pain, the towel he had pressed to his right forearm already soaked through with blood. He made it to the table and dropped into one of the chairs with a grunt. "That damn bloody thing," he wheezed a little. "Wasn't fast enough gettin' my arm out and it swiped at me."

"Oh, my love..." Aurora rushed to grab another towel from the hall closet—both would be ruined but that didn't matter. She crouched in front of Niall's chair. "My love let me see...oh, no I'm taking you to the hospital."

"I don't need a hospital just get the gauze from the--"

" _Niall_." Aurora glared at him. "This needs stitches."

She wasn't wrong; there was a long, jagged gash down the back of Niall's forearm, from elbow to wrist. She didn't like how pale he was looking either, and quickly went to slip her shoes on and grab the car keys from the hook by the door, even while Niall grumbled a quiet protest.

Twenty minutes later they were walking through the doors of the emergency room. In the middle of a Monday morning it wasn't busy, but that wouldn't have mattered because the nurse behind the desk took one look at Niall and the blood-soaked towel and quickly rushed him off to get it taken care of.

Aurora got the paperwork from the other nurse at the desk and settled in a corner of the waiting room to fill everything out. She was just finishing when a shadow fell over her and someone cleared their throat. 

"You're Mrs. Lynch, ain't you?"

Aurora looked up. She saw a tired looking woman of some indeterminate age standing in front of her. The other woman was by herself, and her arm was in a sling, but not apparently broken. There was something familiar about her face, but Aurora couldn't quite place it.

"I am," Aurora said with a polite smile.

"How's Adam?" The woman asked.

Ah. That was why she looked so familiar. Aurora tilted her head a little. "He's doing well," she said softly. 

Mrs. Parrish nodded, then said in an even quieter voice, "You might want to tell your husband to keep an eye out. Robert's not too happy with him."

"With Niall or with Adam?" Aurora asked, frowning.

"Neither." Mrs. Parrish pursed her lips. She looked like she was about to say something else, but outside someone honked their horn. She looked towards the glass doors. Without saying anything further to Aurora, she turned and left, carefully keeping her injured arm close to her.

Aurora watched her go.

Yes, she definitely felt very lucky.

***

The Pig had broken down, and for once Ronan wasn't entirely pissed about that. Shittiness was a subjective scale, after all, and between Cabeswater simply disappearing from existence and the Pig breaking down, the latter was far less surprising. Actually, it was so well within the realm of expected events that it almost felt comforting.

Or it would have felt comforting if it wasn't so damn hot out.

Currently Blue and Gansey were hunched over Gansey's phone in the front seat trying to figure out the closest place they could go to acquire a battery. Ronan had stretched himself out in the back seat with Adam, legs draped over the other boy's lap, arms folded behind his head.

Adam, after fidgeting for a few minutes, finally gave in and let his arms rest on Ronan's legs. Ronan was inexplicably pleased.

"What about this place?" Blue asked, turning around in her seat and leaning over to hold the phone where Ronan could see it. "Think they'd have something?"

"The Deering General Store?" Ronan asked, giving her a look. "Sure. If you're planning on getting a quickie out behind the dumpster instead of a battery."

Blue narrowed her eyes. "Nice, Lynch."

"What?" Ronan said. "I'm not wrong!"

"Do you want to try being helpful for once?" Blue said. "It's too bad none of us have parents who not only live out in this general vicinity but also probably have a spare car battery lying around on their massive farm."

"...Right," Ronan said, shifting to fish his phone out of his pocket. If his father was working he might not answer, so Ronan texted his mother first:  _car broke down, can someone come save us with a new battery?_

Blue handed Gansey back his phone, but remained turned in her seat, hugging the headrest and watching Ronan with an amused expression. "You look awfully comfy."

"Your boyfriend's got a comfortable lap," Ronan said.

Blue looked at Adam. Adam looked at Blue. There was a long pause in which they looked like they were having a silent conversation, and then Adam said with a nonchalant shrug, "I'm not her boyfriend."

Blue looked...relieved? Ronan wondered if he was reading her expression correctly. He sat up a little. He looked at Gansey. 

Gansey did not look back.

"Really?" Ronan said, genuinely surprised as he looked between the other two. "You guys broke up? Since when?"

"Since... I don't know," Blue said, shrugging. She rested her chin on the back of the seat. "We just make better friends than anything else, I think."

Adam nodded, chewing his lip.

Ronan's phone buzzed. He looked down at it.

_Hi sweetheart – we're at the emergency room right now, your father needed stitches. Don't worry though, he's fine. If you don't mind waiting we'll bring you a new battery once we're done. <3 Mom_

_***_

When the Lynch parents arrived twenty minutes later it was Aurora behind the wheel and Aurora who carried the battery over, but Niall was trailing after her. Overall he looked fine, his right forearm was bandaged, but he was smiling and seemed his usual self as he waved at the teens who were by that time all outside the car stretching their legs.

"What the hell happened to you?" Ronan asked his father while Aurora and Gansey went to switch out the batteries.

"Run in with the edge of a piece of sheet metal," Niall said. "Literally. What're you lot doin' all the way out here?"

Blue shielded her eyes with one hand. "Hunting for buried treasure."

"Yeah," said Ronan, grinning. "We heard there were leprechauns out here. That's actually why we lured you out, we don't need a battery we just thought they'd be friendlier to you." Both Blue and Adam stifled laughs, mostly at the deeply unamused look that Niall gave his son.

 _"_ Har har," said Niall, reaching over to ruffle Ronan's hair. "Glad you're in such a good mood, so."

Ronan looked pleased with himself. 

A minute or so later the Pig roared to life and Gansey, half out the open door declared, "I love this car!"

"Weirdo," Ronan called back.

"Correct," said Gansey as he turned the Camaro off and got out to join the others. He turned to Niall and Aurora. "Thank you, again."

"Of course," Aurora said, smiling. "We weren't going to leave you stranded. Now, are you all heading back to Henrietta?"

Gansey glanced at the others. "I believe so. Ronan's car is still there. I promise I won't keep him and Adam out too late though."

"Aye and make sure they don't get into too much trouble," Niall said, wrapping his uninjured arm around Aurora's shoulders.

"Sir I'm flattered that you think I'm capable of that," Gansey said.

Aurora laughed and shook her head, then turned to give Ronan a quick but tight hug. "We'll see you later. Don't forget to pick up Matt when his movie's done."

Ronan nodded, and Niall and Aurora started back to their car.

Blue snuck over to Ronan's side, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning against him. "You've got really nice parents, you know?"

"Uhuh," Ronan said, though he was still frowning after his mother and father. "It's just too bad they both think I don't know when they're lying to me."

***

Noah joined them when they returned to Monmouth, but he was barely there, nearly translucent, fading into the shadows of the room even as he lingered on the outskirts of the group. No one thought this was a coincidence.

"Noah," Gansey asked. "When you go away, like you did at Dollar City, do you actually... leave or do you just turn invisible?"

"I..." Noah blinked slowly at them. The outline of the pile of books behind him was barely visible through his torso. "I'm...gone...when I'm gone."

Gansey began to pace in the middle of the room, walking the length of his model Henrietta while Adam, Blue and Ronan watched from the bed. Rubbing his chin, Gansey said, "Alright, so assuming Cabeswater is like Noah then, it's actually gone. But  _why_ , what would make it do that?"

"Maybe it's like the Pig," Adam said, leaning back on his hands. "Needs a new battery. I gave everything a jump start when I restarted the ley line but it didn't have enough juice to keep going?"

"Or something else is draining it," Blue said. "You know what those power surges remind me of? When we have too many things plugged in at home, and sometimes the lights flicker because we're drawing too much power."

"I think you're on to something, Jane, that's brilliant," Gansey said. "So now the question is, what's draining it? It wasn't just Cabeswater."

All eyes turned to Ronan.

"Don't look at me," Ronan said, glaring. "The biggest thing I've taken out was that night horror and that was an accident."

"Well," said Gansey. "There's only one other person here who can do what you can do. Do you think your dad is taking stuff out?"

Ronan shifted uncomfortably. "He hasn't since Declan died. I don't think. He's got something locked up in one of the barns though so... I hate to say you're right but you might be right."

"I don't suppose you could try asking him?" Gansey asked.

"Pffffttt," Ronan shook his head. "I know what he'd do, he'd shake his head and tell me not to worry about it."

Blue shifted. "Maybe you should ask someone else then."

"Like who?" Ronan said, looking at her.

She gave him a pointed look.

"No way," Ronan said. "No offense but I don't need your family poking around inside my head."

"You don't have to have them poking around in your head," Blue said. "You can just have them answer questions."

Ronan was quiet for a moment, then he said, "Okay, but two conditions—I'm talking to Calla and I'm picking the questions."

"That's fine," Blue said, looking amused, but partially at how relieved Gansey seemed that Ronan had actually agreed. Bouncing to her feet Blue clapped her hands and said, "Come along boys, while the afternoon is still young! Noah?" She turned to see if the least corporeal of them was planning on tagging along.

Noah was crouching by the table. "I think... I'm going to stay... and maybe nap." This was said with the faintest hint of a smile, like he was trying to reassure them.

Blue returned the smile and nodded, before leading the way out.

***

They found Calla in one of the upstairs rooms of 300 Fox Way, hanging from the ceiling by means of a length of silk. For Blue this was not a strange sight, but the boys paused in the doorway, looking equally baffled and unsure if they were supposed to be watching whatever this was. 

"Aerial yoga," Blue said, stepping into the room. "Calla, Ronan wants to ask you some things."

"Which one of your collection is that?" Calla asked. She was, impossibly, suspended upside down and rotating very slowly. The grace with which she maneuvered herself showed that her size was mostly due to what was apparently very well-trained muscle.

Ronan scoffed. "Collection?"

Calla just smirked.

"Anyway," Blue said. "That's Ronan. Will you answer some questions for him? For us, really, but he said he's picking the questions."

Fluidly, Calla righted herself, then landed on her feet, letting go of the fabric strips. She walked over to stand in front of Ronan, looking him over for a moment before nodding.

"Your ability," Ronan said. "That thing you do with objects. Is there a limit on how small they can be?"

"No," Calla said. "But the less mass there is the less I have to work with."

Ronan looked down at his shirt. He turned his head from one side, then to the other, then finally plucked from his shoulder a single long, golden hair. He held it out to Calla. When she raised her eyebrows at him he said, "It's my mother's."

"I don't generally encourage prying into other people's existences," Calla said, not taking the hair. "Especially if they're your parents."

"My parents are lying to me," Ronan said.

Calla snorted. "Of course they are. Your father is a bastard."

"You know Ronan's father?" Gansey asked. Beside him Ronan bristled, but he didn't correct Calla because she wasn't necessarily wrong.

"Yes," Calla said. "Just how many boxing gyms do you think they have in this town?"

Now Ronan looked delighted. "You've boxed with him?"

"Not  _with_  him," Calla said. "In the same place as him." She nodded at the hair that Ronan was still holding out to her. "Are you sure about this?"

"Positive," Ronan said.

Calla took the strand of Aurora's hair, holding it carefully in both hands, pinched between thumb and forefinger. She closed her eyes. For a long time she was silent, the four teens watching her with baited breath. 

When she finally did open her eyes, she met Ronan's gaze and Ronan's alone. In a low voice she said, "You already know what I'm about to say, don't you?"

The other three stared at them, not comprehending.

"How..." Ronan began. 

Keeping the hair pinched between two fingers, Calla reached out with her other hand to touch Chainsaw, who was perched as usual on Ronan's shoulder. Chainsaw snapped her beak at Calla, but Calla snapped right back and then Chainsaw allowed her head to be stroked.

Calla shook her head, clicking her tongue.

"What?" Ronan asked, his voice oddly strained.

"It's what I thought. That bird feels just like  _you_  when I touch it, she doesn't have a soul of her own, it's just an extension of yours," Calla said. "Like your fingernail clippings."

 _Doesn't have a soul._ The words echoed in Ronan's head. He felt like someone was pushing on his chest, collapsing his lungs, either that or the oxygen up here had gotten very thin. He looked at Calla again, shaking his head. "No."

"Ronan?" said Gansey, looking confused.

Calla smiled a humorless smile. " _Yes_. I don't know why you're surprised. I told you that your father's a bastard."

Ronan couldn't stop himself. He whirled around and punched the wall so hard he felt his skin split. Clutching his hand to his chest he let out a pained snarl, then punched the wall again, leaving a faint smear of blood on the plaster this time.

Calla who, though the present teens didn't know it, had been more than a few times called upon to wrangle out-of-control students, stepped forward and wrapped both arms around Ronan's shoulders, hauling him back from the wall and keeping him firmly pinned to her chest. "You need to  _calm down_ ," she snarled.

"What the hell Ronan!" Gansey said, eyes wide. He looked at Blue, who had taken a step back, but she looked equally confused.

Only Adam seemed to have been following the unspoken half of the conversation. "Ronan's mom is a dream thing," he said. 

"She's not a  _thing_ ," Ronan said, voice still pained, body still held tight by Calla despite his struggles. 

Calla grunted, grabbing one forearm with the other hand. "Your father dreamed up the perfect wife rather than finding a real one if that's not objectification I don't know what is."

"You don't know shit about my parents!" Ronan snapped, elbowing Calla in the side. "Let  _go!"_

Calla let him go. Ronan stumbled forward a few steps. His expression was wild, eyes flashing, chest heaving. Gritting his teeth, he looked down at his bloodied knuckles, hunching his shoulders and refusing to look at anyone else.

"I'll go get the first aid kit," Blue whispered before scampering down the stairs. 

Gansey remained standing by the door, watching Ronan with a wide eyed, worried and upset expression. Calla stood in the middle of the room, folding her arms over her chest in a way that suggested she was more than ready to body check Ronan if necessary.

Adam took a step closer. He reached out and lay his hand on Ronan's shoulder.

"What the fuck am I," Ronan whispered. "Parrish, what am I?"

Adam was quiet for a second or two, then he shrugged and said, "An idiot. You almost broke your hand."

Ronan's shoulders relaxed, then he turned his head and looked up at Adam, the corner of his mouth twitching just a little.

***

It was dark when they got back to the Barns. They'd picked up Matthew after his movie, but then Ronan made every excuse possible not to go back home right away. The three of them went out for dinner. They took a walk. They drove back the long way. Eventually however Matthew wanted to be home and Adam knew that Ronan knew they couldn’t stay away forever.

As soon as the car came to a stop Matthew got out of the backseat and hurried inside. Ronan didn't move and neither did Adam. Through the curtains of the living room windows they could see the light of the TV, and the shadows of Matthew and Niall and Aurora moving around.

"Are you mad at him?" Adam asked, finally. "Your dad?"

"I don't know," said Ronan.

Adam looked at him. Ronan was looking down at the steering wheel. The light from over the garage door painted a yellowish line along the profile of Ronan's face, tracing his nose, his lips, his chin, his jaw. His brow was deeply furrowed, eyes half closed.

Reaching over, Adam lightly rested his hand on the back of Ronan's neck. "C'mon, Lynch, let's go inside, okay?"

Ronan nodded and finally opened his door.

Inside the house they could hear Niall and Matthew's voices from the kitchen. Aurora was just coming out of the living room and she paused, smiling. "There you two are, everything okay?"

Ronan stared at her, then he stepped forward and pulled his mother into a tight embrace, burying his face in the side of her neck. Aurora looked surprised, but she returned the hug, rubbing Ronan's back and stroking his hair until he finally stepped back from her. He kept a light hold of her arms.

Aurora gazed up at him. She understood. Even Adam could tell that.

"Do you know?" Ronan asked quietly. 

Aurora nodded, reaching up to use two fingers to brush some of Ronan's hair back from his forehead. "Yes, my darling," she said quietly. "I know what I am."

"And you're not..." Ronan shook his head. "You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad?" Aurora said, stroking his cheek. "Your father loves me very much, that is why I am here. And he gave me two wonderful sons."

Ronan wiped the back of his hand over his eyes, then all three of them glanced up at the sound of Niall coming down the hall. The smile on his face faded when he got a look at Ronan's expression. 

"What's goin' on?" Niall asked, joining them in the foyer.

There was a split second when Adam could see the explosion building up inside Ronan.

"Fuck you!" Ronan spat at his father, starting to turn but Aurora grabbed his arm.

"Ronan!" Aurora exclaimed. "Don't speak to your father like that!"

Niall looked flat out shocked. "Excuse me?"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Ronan asked. "Huh?!"

Niall stared at him, then looked at Aurora, then sighed. "Adam," he said. "Would you give us a moment?"

"No," said Ronan, giving Adam a sharp look. "I need you to stay, Parrish."

Adam didn't move.

"Fine," Niall said, and he held up his hand. "But Ronan, you need to calm yourself. You don't know the half of it—it's not what you think."

"Oh no?!" Ronan said, lip curling. "Then what is it?"

"I didn't do it on purpose," Niall said. "She followed me, I didn't mean to pull her out."

Ronan snorted. "Bull-fucking-shit!"

" _Ronan_ ," Aurora said, and this time she actually sounded angry.

"Aye, keep your goddamn voice down, will ya?" Niall hissed. 

"Why?!" Ronan asked, very much not lowering his voice. "Matthew deserves to know that—" All the color drained from his face. "Jesus Christ.  _Je_ sus Christ, Dad! What, me and Declan weren't good enough so you had to—" 

This time he stopped because his father had clamped one hand over his mouth. Leaning in close, Niall said lowly, "Shut. Up." 

"Niall," Aurora said, looking desperate but not sure what to do. "Ronan. Please. Both of you stop."

Niall removed his hand when he was sure Ronan wasn't about to start shouting again. "It's not bull-fucking-shit," he said. "And I didn't dream Matthew...you did."


	6. Chapter 6

Silence descended over the front hall. Adam had the sudden urge to run and hide, but he was cornered by the mass of Niall and Ronan at their full fury. He looked past them to Aurora, standing with her hand on her cheek and a heart-broken expression on her face.

Niall removed his hand from Ronan's mouth and took a step back, tilting his chin up.

With each breath, Ronan's body shook like he was crying, though his eyes remained dry and his expression furious. He looked at his father for a few eternal seconds more, then turned, grabbed his keys from the table and stormed back outside. A moment later they all heard the sound of his car starting.

Niall didn't look at Adam or Aurora. He too spun around, but in the other direction, stalking down the hall and into his study, slamming the door behind him.

Aurora moved her hand from her cheek to her mouth, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before she opened them again and looked at Adam. "I'm so sorry you had to see that," she said. "This is why Niall was afraid to tell Ronan. He knew it would upset him so much... but, I can't blame Ronan for being upset. I really can't."

Adam nodded. He couldn't blame Ronan either. He wished, fleetingly, that he could comfort Aurora somehow, but he had no idea how to do that so he cleared his throat and said, "I could, uhm, make some tea, if you wanted."

"Thank you," Aurora said, relaxing a little and reaching out to pat Adam's arm. "That would be very nice."

The two of them went into the kitchen. Matthew was sitting at the table, watching Chainsaw carefully stacking up some Cheerios that had accidentally-on-purpose been spilled on the tabletop. He looked up with wide eyes when Aurora and Adam entered. Aurora walked over to stand by his chair, wrapping her arms around him and holding his head to her chest, pressing a soft kiss to his golden curls.

"What happened?" Matthew asked.

"Ronan and your father had a little fight," Aurora said, gently. "They'll be alright."

Matthew craned his head back to look at her. "Where's Ro?"

"I think he went for a drive," Aurora said, sighing.

Adam went to fill the electric tea kettle and get the tin of chamomile tea down from the cupboard. He was worried about Ronan too, he could guess what Ronan was headed off to do— it would be a miracle if he didn't come back with another speeding ticket. Or worse. For a moment Adam considered borrowing someone's cell phone to text Gansey, but who knew if Gansey would be able to do anything about it.

"If you could make a cup for Niall as well I'll bring it in to him," Aurora said, when Adam went to get the mugs down.

After the tea was made and Aurora had brought a cup to her husband, Adam sat with her and Matthew at the kitchen table. None of them spoke, but Adam knew that they were all planning on waiting until Ronan got back, or until Aurora's phone rang.

***

It was a few hours yet until they heard the front door slam followed by Ronan's footsteps on the stairs. Niall still had not come out of his study. Adam was on his feet before the thought crossed his mind that maybe he should let Ronan's mother talk to him. When he looked at Aurora, however, she just nodded and gave him a little smile, so he left the kitchen and made his way slowly up to Ronan's room.

The door was closed but unlocked, so Adam let himself in. Ronan, on the bed taking his shoes off, turned with the start of a snarl on his lips, but it disappeared when he saw who had come in.

"What d'you want, Parrish?" he asked, turning his attention back to unlacing his boots.

Adam closed the door. "Where'd you go?"

"Town."

"You were racing again weren't you?"

Ronan snorted. "I sure as hell wasn't getting pizza."

Adam sighed and walked over to lean against the edge of the desk, watching Ronan as he tossed his boots into the corner, then leaned back on his hands, staring at the floor, eyes unfocused.

"Is my dad pissed?" Ronan asked.

"Dunno," said Adam. "He's been in his office the whole time."

"Fuck him," Ronan said. "Fuck Calla too, I don't care how right she was about my dad, my mom does have a soul."

Adam didn't say anything. He didn't really know if he believed in souls, and if he did, to what extent he thought they comprised a person. Secretly though he did agree with Ronan, there was no way someone as sweet and caring as Aurora Lynch couldn't be thought to have a soul.

And then, to Adam's surprise, Ronan let out an audibly tremulous breath and said, "I wish Declan was here. God...fuck-!" He made an aimless kicking motion with one foot, then hunched over, resting his forehead against his hands and curling his fingers in his hair. "Fucking _shit_."

Biting his lip, Adam moved to sit next to Ronan. It was hard to tell sometimes what kind of comfort Ronan needed, especially since he was not exactly the type to tell you outright. He didn't push Adam away however.

"We weren't always best friends," Ronan said, quietly, voice strained. "But I fucking miss him, Adam. I _really_ fucking miss my brother."

_Adam_. When was the last time Ronan had called him 'Adam' and not 'Parrish'? And that tone in Ronan's voice, that bared, visceral pain and misery... Just as he had earlier at 300 Fox Way, Adam reached out and rested his hand on the back of Ronan's neck, this time he hesitantly moved his thumb in little circles against the spot just behind Ronan's ear. Still, Ronan did not push him away, he just shook, like he had when facing down his father in the hall, like he was trying his hardest not to cry.

Adam didn't say anything. He didn't think there was anything Ronan really wanted to hear right now. He slid his hand up a little, letting his fingertips brush against Ronan's hair. When Ronan let his hands fall to his lap a second later, Adam saw that his eyes were closed, lips parted a little.

Ronan turned his head and looked at Adam finally. For no apparent reason, Adam felt heat rising in his cheeks, spurred by something in the intensity of that gaze. He half expected Ronan to do… something, but he wasn't sure exactly what.

"Thanks," Ronan said, quietly. "Seriously. Sorry I'm being such a baby."

"You're uh, you're really not," Adam said, swallowing. "Tonight was shit."

Ronan nodded, rubbing the heel of his palm against his eyes then standing up and going to get a tissue from the box on the dresser. While he did, Adam took a second to rub both hands over his face.

"Is Mom still downstairs?" Ronan asked.

Adam lowered his hands. "Yeah I think so."

"I'm gonna go apologize to her," Ronan said. "Then I think I'm going to bed."

"Yeah." Adam got up. "Me too. I'll see you in the morning."

"Uhuh. Sweet dreams, Parrish."

***

Niall made himself scarce the next day, so Ronan and Adam teamed up to fix the currently unused chicken house and yard since Aurora kept hinting that she wanted a few hens. They worked in silence for most of the day and didn't say a word about what had happened the previous night.

At dinner Niall announced he would be going to Vancouver that weekend.

Ronan still didn't say anything.

***

The day after that was Thursday. Adam had taken off of work since Gansey had requested that everyone clear their calendars to revisit the lake now that he'd had a chance to get his hands on some of the necessary equipment to survey the bottom of it. Ronan's anger at his father still scorched every inch of him but the prospect of seeing Gansey and Blue was, at that moment, like a cool breeze on his face.

Gansey had wanted to get an early start, so it was just before eight a.m. when Ronan and Adam pulled into the parking lot of Monmouth Manufacturing. Gansey was there, as were Blue and Blue's older cousin Orla, looking like a summertime Amazon with her long legs and the miles of toned, brown stomach between the waist of her bell-bottoms and the bright orange fabric of her bikini top.

Ronan led the way over to the trio, chewing on the straw of one of the iced coffees he carried in a cardboard tray. "It's fucking hot out here Jesus Christ," he said loudly. On his shoulder, Chainsaw croaked in agreement, tilting her head and trying to see if Ronan was hiding anymore bagel crumbs from her.

"Haven't you lived here all your life?" Adam asked, trailing along beside him. "Don't you work on a farm?"

"Yes and yes," Ronan said. "Sometimes you just don't acclimate to things."

Blue walked over, reaching for one of the coffees. "He doesn't want blemishes on that face."

"I can't blame him," said Orla.

"I'm gonna look like a goddamn lobster after being out on that boat for five minutes just watch," Ronan said, ignoring Orla and the look she was giving him.

Gansey, who was sitting on the running-board of the U-Haul pickup truck that aforementioned boat was attached to, glanced up from his laptop. "You know sunscreen exists, Lynch. Jane—would you hand me one of those?"

Blue and Ronan made almost identical faces at him, but Blue obligingly brought one of the coffees over while Orla took the fourth.

"SPF 100 baby," Ronan said.

"You know what they say about men with high SPF numbers," Blue said, which made Ronan let out a bark of laughter.

Adam rolled his eyes, shaking his head at the pair of them and walking over to see what Gansey was doing on his computer. "So, what is this exactly?"

"Sonar," Gansey said. "It's going to help us see what's at the bottom of the lake. I don't think Glendower is down there himself, but I'll count it as a practice run for if we do find a lake that he's likely to be in."

"Practice run?" said Ronan. "What're you gonna do if it doesn't work? Ask for your sixty-five hundred dollars back?"

Gansey sighed. "I'm not sure it's refundable."

"Jesus," Adam said, shaking his head.

"If you think that's bad you should go upstairs and see the results of his retail therapy yesterday," said Blue, glaring in a very judgmental way over the top of her coffee at Gansey.

"He sent me pictures," said Ronan. "I think it's fine. He needed a couch up there, I was getting sick of sitting on his bed when we hung out."

"The couch, _sure_ ," said Blue. "But a pool table?! Does he even play pool?"

Ronan noticed that Gansey was ignoring them in a way that was unusual for him. Either he was very focused on installing the sonar software or something was bothering him. Ronan walked over and poked the top of Gansey's head. "Hey. Dick."

"Yes?" Gansey said, looking up and batting his eyelashes sarcastically.

"What's up with your face, man?"

"My face?" Gansey said. "What's up with _you_ , I think is the question. Why did your mother text me the other night asking if you'd come by?"

Ronan shrugged, taking another long sip of coffee. "I got in a fight with my dad."

Gansey's brow furrowed. "About your mother?"

"Yeah." Ronan glanced at Adam then, silently warning him not to say anything about the other revelation, though most likely Adam had not been planning on it. Shrugging, Ronan said, "He claims he didn't do it on purpose and that she followed him out."

"Did he say why they never told you?"

"Oh yeah he explained every one of his life choices to me in detail and then we went to get a mani-pedi together."

Gansey rolled his eyes. "Ronan."

"Mrs. Lynch said it was because they knew you'd be upset," Adam said.

"Wait, she knows?" Blue said, having drifted over to them. "She knows she's not a... real person?"

Ronan made a hissing sound. "My mom _is_ a real person. The next person who says she's not or that she doesn't have a soul is going to find _themselves_ on the bottom of that stupid lake."

"Sorry," Blue said, looking genuinely abashed. "I didn't...sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I just meant, she knows that she came from a dream?"

"Yes." Ronan pursed his lips, taking a deep breath through his nose. When he spoke, it was in a much calmer tone. "She said she knows and that she doesn't care because my dad loves her. I'm still pissed off."

Blue nodded sympathetically and leaned against his arm, turning her head to look up at him. After a minute Ronan put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze.

"Are we going, or do you need time to cuddle each of your boys first?" Orla called.

Blue, without looking at her, held up her middle finger. "Yeah we're going."

***

Niall Lynch was not in the mood for trouble, but he had a feeling that trouble might just be in the mood for him when he saw a white Mitsubishi with a violent knife graphic pull up on the other side of the gas pump from where he was filling the BMW. The car was both impossible to miss and impossible to forget, and he had seen it in the Aglionby parking lot more than a few times.

The boy who got out of the car was Ronan's age, skinny in a vaguely unhealthy way. He wore a white tank top, fashionably torn oversized jeans and a gold chain around his neck. He also had on a pair of white-rimmed designer sunglasses which he slid down his nose a little to look at Niall.

"Shit," he said with a slow grin. "You're Lynch's old man, aren't you?"

"Aye that would be me," Niall said. "You go to school with Ronan."

"That I do." The boy jerked his chin instead of offering his hand. "Joseph Kavinsky."

Niall had been forged in the hellish furnace that was 1970's Belfast, a time and place where the only poor Catholic boys who survived were the ones who learned how to fight back. Niall had also learned how to tell whether someone was a friend or whether they'd knock your teeth out before putting a bullet through your head.

He was fairly certain Joseph Kavinsky was not the former of those two things.

Leaning back against the side of the BMW, Niall folded his arms over his chest and regarded Kavinsky with a raised eyebrow. "Is there something I can do for ya?"

"Probably not," Kavinsky said, tipping his head back and rubbing his jaw. "I'm generally more interested in the younger Lynch."

"I highly doubt Ronan's interested in you," Niall said. He shouldn't play into this obvious bait but sometimes it was a little difficult not to.

"You might be surprised," Kavinsky said with a leering grin. "Who d'you think he sneaks off to race with when he's mad at you?"

Niall shook his head and turned to open the driver's side door. Before he could get in, however, Kavinsky grabbed his arm. Niall looked down at the boy's hand, then at his face. "You'll be wanting to let go of me, lad," he said lowly.

"And you'll be wanting to listen to what I've gotta say," Kavinsky said, taking a step closer. "I know what your kid is. And I'm not talking about the fact that he takes it up the ass either—oh too much for you?"

Niall let out a single, humorless laugh. "You'll have to do better than that if you're trying to shock me."

"I _know_ what he can do," Kavinsky said, slow and drawling. He lifted his hand from Niall's arm and tapped his own forehead, then drew his fingers slowly back like he was pulling out an invisible thread. Grinning, he took a step back. "Tell him 'sweet dreams' for me, will ya, Mr. Lynch?" With a wink he swung himself around and, whistling, hands in his pockets, sidled back over to his car.

Niall remained motionless, jaw clenched, until the Mitsubishi had pulled out of the parking lot and driven off.

***

 Ronan was, indeed, sunburned. Not terribly, but there was a distinct stripe of angry red across his cheeks and nose that kept making him grimace as the teens walked up from the lake to where the BMW and rental truck were parked. Everyone was in a relatively good mood; any time they found something was counted as a success and a shield boss and wheel from the Camaro definitely counted as _something_.

Blue and Gansey were bringing up the rear of the group, treasure in hand. Adam and Ronan walked side by side in the middle, and Orla led the way, still dripping from her venture into the lake, her bell bottoms now slung over one shoulder. She was walking a little more pointedly than was probably necessary, and kept glancing back over her shoulder in a way that finally pushed Blue over the line.

"Orla, will you cut it out?" she said with a huff. "Ronan's not interested."

Orla scowled at her. "He can speak for himself I'm _sure_."

"I'm not interested," Ronan said.

"Fine," Orla said, waving one hand dismissively in the air above her head.

Gansey gave a slow shake of his head, then tapped Adam on the shoulder. "Hey, you're still coming to D.C. with me this weekend, right?"

Adam hesitated. He looked at Ronan. "I dunno, Mr. Lynch is going to be away too…" He knew he didn't have to explain to Gansey that his hesitation was a result of worry for Ronan, still seething from the fight with Niall and about to have a good chunk of his support network out of town for a few days.

Gansey also looked at Ronan.

Ronan looked annoyed. "What? Do whatever you want, Parrish, you're allowed to go to fancy parties and _network_."

"Do you want to come too?" Gansey asked, but his voice was begrudgingly hesitant.

"Hell no," Ronan said. "Your parents hate me and I hate politics."

"My parents do not hate you," Gansey said, which was diplomatic of him.

Ronan snorted. "They're the kind of wasp that _I'm_ allergic to."

"You could just say 'no thank you, I have plans,'" Gansey said, narrowing his eyes.

"No thank you," Ronan said, with an exaggeratedly sweet smile. He turned then and slung an arm around Blue. "And don't look so worried, Sargent will keep an eye on me."

Blue nodded, wrapping her arm around his waist. "It's true. Maybe I'll make Lynch take me out for driving practice."

"I would highly advise against that," Gansey said dryly. Then, "Well, Parrish, what do you say?"

"Then yeah, I can still come," Adam said. He looked at Ronan and Blue, still side by side, both wearing identical smug looks, both with their short, dark, wild hair, they somehow managed to look very much like siblings in that moment despite the mile of difference in both their heights and complexions. Something in Ronan's expression bothered Adam, but he still made an attempt at humor. "You two just gotta promise not to get into too much trouble."

Blue rolled her eyes. "I said I'd keep an eye on your husband for you, Adam, don't worry."

Ronan let out a loud, "ha!"

Adam suddenly felt like he was the one with sunburned cheeks, and he knew from the way Blue was staring at him that he probably looked it too.  

"Be nice, Jane," Gansey said, chuckling.

"Alright now you're just being selfish, Blue!" Orla called out as she walked back over to see what the holdup was. "You're making one of them blush while you have your arms around another one, don't lie and tell me that's not what's going on here."

Before Blue had a chance to respond Ronan turned and snapped, "Will you cut it out already? I'm _gay_."

Everyone stared at him for approximately half a second, and then Blue burst out laughing. "God, Orla, you're such a dipshit."

"Whatever," Orla said. "You're still being selfish." And with a toss of her magnificent head, she turned and stalked the rest of the way to the car, leaving Blue positively howling with laughter behind her.

***

There was a bit of maneuvering passengers around, as Orla had to go with to return the boat and rental truck, and then for a brief drive from the rental place to 300 Fox Way all five of them were crammed into the BMW, and then finally Ronan, Adam and Gansey were on their way back to Monmouth Manufacturing.

"Where's your dad going this weekend?" Gansey asked Ronan after they'd dropped the girls off.

"Vancouver," Ronan said.

Gansey frowned. "What's he going to Vancouver for?"

"Again, man, why are you under the impression that my dad explains himself to me? It's probably for business."

"Ah, yes, I forget they do have a large community of farmers up there in British Columbia."

Ronan glanced at him and raised his eyebrows. "Look, I _know_ my dad's up to something," he said. "I'm pretty sure he's been dreaming again so maybe that's something to do with it. I'm pretty sure that's where all our money came from in the first place."

"Really?" said Adam, leaning forward from where he was in the back seat.

"You don't make millions of dollars being a farmer," Ronan said. "And one of the few things I know about my dad's family back in Ireland is that they were poor as shit, like just barely able to afford a place to live that wasn't in a traveler caravan poor as shit."

"Maybe he's having money problems?" Gansey said hesitantly.

"They're not," Adam said.

Ronan looked at him in the rearview mirror. "I mean, you're right, but how do you know?"

"I'm good with numbers," Adam said. "Your dad had me helping with some of the farm ledgers."

They had reached Monmouth Manufacturing by then, but the minute they got out of the car they could tell something was wrong. The door, which Gansey was absolutely certain he had remembered to lock, was hanging open. He froze, looking at it, then looking at Adam and Ronan. "Should we… I should call the police before we go in."

Ronan snorted and used his key fob to unlock the trunk of the BMW. "Parrish, reach in there and hand me the tire iron."

"Ronan, I don't need you fighting any burglars for me, thank you," Gansey said, taking out his cell phone.

Ignoring him, Ronan took the tire iron that Adam handed him and started inside. Gansey sighed unhappily, exchanged a look with Adam, but followed Ronan inside without calling 911 just yet, though he did keep his phone in his hand.

The good thing about Monmouth's open floor plan was that it made it very easy to make sure there wasn't anyone still inside, which they did before turning their attention to assessing the damage.  Luckily, nothing of value seemed to be missing. Unluckily, whoever had broken in had done a fair amount of damage: Gansey's model of Henrietta was mostly crushed, the contents of his desk drawers had been emptied, the mattress had been flipped over, stacks of books toppled…

"Hey guys," Adam called. He was standing over a mess of books and papers near the door, and as Gansey and Ronan came back over to him he bent down and picked up a few plastic cards from the pile. "Look at this." He held the cards out to them.

They were driver's licenses. Each of them bore Ronan's picture, but the birthdates varied and put him at anywhere from two years old to eighty nine. They were remarkably well forged as well, right down to the fraud detector hologram stamp.

"What in the world…" Gansey breathed as he turned the one he held over in his hands. He looked up at Ronan, raising his eyebrows.

"Kavinsky," Ronan said.

"Why would Joseph Kavinsky trash my home?" Gansey asked. "I've barely ever spoken to him."

Ronan wet his lips, then grabbed a discarded plastic shopping bag and bent down to start collecting the licenses. "Because you're one of my best friends and he's a goddamn menace who won't leave me alone."

"Okay," Gansey said slowly. "What do we do about that then?"

"We go tell him to fuck off," Ronan said. "Luckily I know where he's gonna be tonight." He straightened. "Hey, you need help cleaning up around here?"

Gansey shook his head. "No, I had a system and I'd like to restore it myself."

"Sure," Ronan said. "Well, we'll be back after dinner then. Try to find something not lame to wear."

***

When Adam and Ronan got back to the Barns, they found Niall carrying a weekender suitcase out to the car. He was dressed the way he used to dress in the time when he went out on business trips much more frequently. He paused when Adam and Ronan pulled up and got out, and reached out to catch Ronan's arm as they headed towards the house.

Adam kept walking but stopped on the porch to wait for them.

Ronan turned to face his father, folding his arms over his chest.

"I don't like the idea of leavin' with there being bad air between us," Niall said.

"Then get your shit together," Ronan said.

Niall gave him a hard look. "We're not like other men, Ronan. The world isn't kind to people who are different, even if the difference is something extraordinary. Someday you'll understand that I have to do what I do to keep this family safe."

"Is that what killed Declan?" Ronan asked, bitterly. "The fact that we're so different?"

Niall took a deep breath, chest heaving as he momentarily looked upwards. Then he said, "Yes. In a way."

Ronan was silent.

"There's one more thing," Niall said. "I need you to stay away from Joseph Kavinsky."

"What?" This was so far out of the realm of things Ronan was expecting his father to say, he let out a startled laugh.

"Just trust me," Niall said. "That boy is dangerous, but until I figure him out I need you to just stay away from him, alright?"

Ronan just gazed at him.

Niall sighed, then stepped forward to put his hands on either side of Ronan's head. "I know you don't always believe it, but you and Matt are the most important things in the world to me and your mother."

Ronan's shoulders dropped a little. "Yeah, I know that," he said quietly.

"I love you, little dreamer," Niall said, so softly that only Ronan could hear. "Stay safe while I'm gone. Look after your brother."

"I love you too, Dad," Ronan said, just as softly, allowing his father to give him a quick, tight hug before he turned and got into the car.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to give a quick shout out to eternal_state_of_voorpret, veronicahague, and sunkelles! I get so excited when I see any of you in my inbox because your feedback is always just perfect, thank youuu for being wonderful <3


	7. Chapter 7

"What do you mean he left?"

"He left. He's out of town. I overheard that he's going to Vancouver for the weekend." The Gray Man was sitting in his rental car outside of the bed and breakfast where he was staying. He had just been at Monmouth Manufacturing where, in addition to dealing with some of their competition, he had overheard Ronan Lynch and his friends talking.

Greenmantle was quiet for a second or two then he said with a sneer in his voice, "He's going to see Seondeok. I don't know why the hell else he would go there.  _God_  I like it better when they're not friends."

"Seondeok," the Gray Man repeated. He knew of Seondeok, of course, it was hard to be in the business and avoid at least hearing about the woman.  

"A lot of people think he's fucking her," Greenmantle said in a slow, ponderous tone. "I'm not so sure. Lynch seems devoted to that wife of his, God knows why."

The Gray Man picked at a spot of something on the dashboard. "Aren't you devoted to your wife?"

"Yes," said Greenmantle. "But Piper is beautiful  _and_  intelligent. The only impression I have of Aurora Lynch is that she's got a head like a China vase—pretty, but completely empty. Niall Lynch isn't an unintelligent man, I can't imagine a woman like  _that_ keeps him satisfied."

The Gray Man sighed, drumming his fingers on the wheel now. On the list of things he was interested in talking about, Niall Lynch's sex life was pretty close to the bottom. He wondered why Greenmantle cared about it. Clearing his throat he asked, "So how would you like me to proceed?" 

"Well, with Lynch out of town it might be a good time to do some poking around closer to home," Greenmantle said. "Just keep your head down, I don't need him knowing you work for me."

"I thought you wanted leverage over him," the Gray Man said. "I'm very good at providing leverage over people."

Greenmantle chuckled. "I  _have_  leverage over him."

"Oh?"

"I told him I know who killed his son."

The Gray Man was silent for a moment. He frowned. "And do you?"

"Yes," said Greenmantle.

"Who was it?"

Another chuckle. "I'm not telling  _you_ , man! There's a reason that information is need-to-know."

"Yes," said the Gray Man. "Because killing a child crosses a line."

"If only the American government agreed with you," Greenmantle said. "But you don't need to worry about that, just focus on finding the Greywaren. Keep me updated." And then he hung up.

The Gray Man sighed and tossed the phone onto the passenger seat. It sounded like he would be paying the Lynch family farm a visit this weekend.

***

They could feel the party before they saw it. Even sitting in Ronan's BMW the pulsing bass of dance music and the roar of engines pounded and vibrated right up through the wheels and into their chests. Neither Adam nor Gansey asked why Ronan knew where Joseph Kavinsky had his slightly-less-than-legal parties, they just went along with it.

Adam leaned forward between the front seats as Ronan navigated the car into a parking spot a safe distance from Kavinsky's party, which was in full swing. "Don't the cops do something about these?" Adam asked as Ronan shut off the car.

"What are the police gonna do?" Ronan asked. "Tell him to stop? Kavinsky doesn't listen to  _anyone_. He doesn't care. Gansey, hand me that bag."

Gansey handed Ronan the plastic shopping bag at his feet, which was full of the fake drivers licenses that Kavinsky had left in Monmouth. 

The three of them got out of the car. The music hit Adam like a brick wall, thudding from the inside of his ribcage right up into his skull. The heady stench of beer and weed and tobacco and Axe body spray grew stronger as they joined the already energetic crowd of teens. 

Plastic cups and beer cans and bottles were being passed around. So were brightly colored pills. Adam could see two cars roaring back and forth in a game of chicken on the other side of the crowd, and one of them was Kavinsky's Evo.

He looked at Ronan. With his dark hair and dark jeans and dark Chemical Brothers t-shirt, Ronan looked like some fantastical creature of the night sky come down to stand among the neon party goers. As he stood with his head craned to the side, neck elongated, watching the racing vehicles, a cloud of exhaust smoke and dust billowed up behind him. For a brief second, he was illuminated by an outline of yellow and orange fire. His blue eyes shone and he clutched the bag like he was a vengeful warlord and it contained the head of his enemy instead of fake drivers' licenses.

He dipped his chin, then swung his head to look at Adam.

Adam looked back at him. Ronan smiled, just a little, but it was a dangerous and complicated smile.

Like a revving engine, each beat of Adam's heart made him burn hotter and faster. The noise and heat and smell of the party made his head swim until he felt as drunk as the people around him.

"Incoming!" Gansey barked, snapping them both out of their momentary reverie.

Ronan's smile vanished. There was Kavinsky, making his way over to them with Prokopenko in tow. Now Ronan was no longer a god, he was a steely-eyed hound at the gates of hell, stalking over to Gansey's side.

"Well well what a  _surprise_! You brought the whole family, too!"

Gansey waited until Ronan and Adam were flanking him, then he folded his arms over his chest, fixing Kavinsky with a deeply cold expression.

"You look mad," Kavinsky said, touching the fingertips of one hand to his chest and extending the other towards Gansey, flicking his palm upwards then down again in a wishy-washy gesture. "Are you mad? Is it something I did? Is it something I said?"

"Ronan," said Gansey.

Ronan took out a fistful of the licenses and started to flick them at Kavinsky, who just laughed and laughed as the cards bounced off his chest. He turned his wild gaze on Ronan. 

"Have you put two and two together, Lynch?" he asked. "Do you get it?"

"My dad told me to stay the hell away from you," Ronan said, tossing the last card so it hit Kavinsky in the middle of his chest.

"Of course he did," Kavinsky said. "He doesn't want you learning what I can teach you."

Ronan's lip curled. "What, how to become a coke head who's also a shitty driver? I'll pass, thanks and fuck you."

"Oh hooooo," Kavinsky hooted. "No, princess, think a little harder."

"Just tell me what the fuck you're talking about, man."

Kavinsky sucked his teeth, shaking his head as he plunged one hand into the pocket of his jeans. What he drew out was a necklace, a thick silver Celtic cross hanging on a woven leather band. He held it out to Ronan. " _One pill makes you larger,_ _aaaand_ _one pill makes you small_ ," he sang, wiggling his shoulders a little. " _And the ones that,_ Daddy  _gives you, don't do anything at all_...." 

Ronan snatched the necklace from him, turning it over in his hands. He ran his thumb over the silver cross. "This looks like my dad's. There's no way he'd drop it though. How'd you get this?"

"Ran into your pop at the gas station the other day," Kavinsky said, hooking his thumbs in the back pockets of his jeans. "Don't think he liked me too much." He spun on his heel and made a great sweeping gesture for them to follow him. "Come in off the doorstep, ladies! Join the party!"

Adam looked at Gansey, then he looked at Ronan, who was squeezing the necklace tight in his hand, watching Kavinsky with a lowered head. He bared his teeth before starting forward. Gansey sighed, but he and Adam followed the other boys, weaving their way in and out of partying teens.

"Why did you trash my place?!" Gansey shouted at Kavinsky's back.

Kavinsky stopped and turned, making a face like he had just swallowed some unpleasant tasting cough medicine. "Trash your place? What the fuck are you talking about, Dick?"

Gansey's eyes narrowed. "Do not insult my intelligence, Kavinsky. You know what I'm talking about. When you left that present for Ronan, you also trashed my place."

"Wasn’t me, man, shit," Kavinsky said laughing. "I left my delivery on the doorstep. Seriously you need to lighten up a little."

"Well if you didn't, who did?" Gansey said.

"How the  _fuck_  should I know?" Kavinsky said. "Maybe someone is jealous of you and your boy-toy."

Gansey took in a deep breath and looked skyward, sighing entreatingly at the heavens. 

Kavinsky meanwhile sidestepped closer to Adam and Ronan. He pointed across an open swath of makeshift drag-strip to where his Mitsubishi was parked. The side looked like it had been swiped by a semi-truck. "Think I might have to put the old girl down," he said, with an exaggerated shake of his head. "Proko! Make us a cocktail."

A moment later Prokopenko handed over a glass bottle with fabric jammed in the mouth. Liquid sloshed inside. Kavinsky hefted it a little, then turned and looked at Gansey, Ronan and Adam slowly in turn. He started to hold the bottle out to Gansey, then at the last minute swerved and put it in Ronan's hand. 

"Figure if you throw it, Lynch, this Molotov becomes an Irish Car Bomb, right?" he said, taking out his lighter and leaning in a little too close, nose inches from Ronan's as he lit the rag.

Kavinsky was looking at Ronan, but Ronan was looking at Adam, just for a second, as briefly as he had smiled earlier. Adam wondered what was going through his head. He wondered what the hell Ronan thought he was doing.

Ronan took aim and threw the Molotov cocktail in a graceful flaming arc. It soared through the air, leaving a trail of sparks behind it, then landed in the Mitsubishi's open window. Flames exploded outward, and people cheered, and another loud bass beat began to pound, and Kavinsky was laughing as Prokopenko handed him another cocktail which Gansey  _did_  take this time.

But Adam didn't see any of that because Ronan had turned to him. "You're leaving tomorrow," he said, just loud enough to be heard over the music, not loud enough that anyone but Adam heard him. "You and Gansey."

"We'll be back on Sunday," Adam said.

Ronan stepped closer. From just a few inches apart they looked at each other, side-lit by the burning car. 

_Oh_ , Adam thought, like he was outside himself, like he was a commentator on his own life,  _Ronan Lynch wants to kiss me._

_Ronan Lynch wants to—_

Then out of the corner of his eye he noticed that someone was looking at them. Glancing over, he saw Kavinsky had turned around. For a second Adam expected him to shout some insult at them, but what he did instead was much worse; he just stared at them. For a long moment he just  _stared_ _,_  making eye contact first with Adam, then Ronan, before he turned back around and said something to Prokopenko.

"Fucking weirdo," Ronan muttered.

Adam wet his lips. "Ronan, I—"

Gansey turned around looking like he had just been woken from a dream. "Hoo," he said, rubbing his face and walking over to Adam and Ronan. "What time is it? We should get going, we need to get an early start tomorrow. Adam, you brought your things right? You're spending the night so we can just leave from town?"

"Yeah," Adam said, but as he glanced at Ronan he found himself wishing that he hadn't.

***

They headed back to Monmouth with even more questions than they had started with. Ronan gripped the wheel of the BMW tightly, certain that he would fly apart otherwise. No one said anything, they let the pounding EDM beat of Ronan's music fill the silence, Gansey restlessly tapping his fingers against his leg, Adam still as a statue in the back seat.

When Ronan stopped the car, Gansey immediately got out and circled around to get Adam's bag out of the trunk, giving the other two a moment alone.

Adam leaned forward. Ronan turned in his seat to look at him, as much as his seatbelt would allow. Ronan could hear Gansey rummaging in the trunk then slamming it closed and knew they only had seconds. "Parrish..." he said quietly.

"We'll talk when I get back, okay?" Adam said, just as quietly. 

Ronan dragged his lower lip between his teeth. He looked down at Adam's hand, resting on the top of the passenger seat. "Sure," he said, bitterness creeping into his voice.

And then Adam moved his hand from the other seat to Ronan's shoulder, squeezing it, moving his thumb in little circles for half a second before he opened the door and got out of the car.

Ronan clutched at the steering wheel again. 

He closed his eyes and in the darkness behind them saw nothing but flames.

This was going to be a long weekend.

***

Seondeok's home in Vancouver was one of those unimaginably expensive looking masterpieces of modern architecture. Like Seondeok herself, it was all clean lines and sharp contrasts of dark and light. Like Seondeok, there was a lot of delicate glass and bright stainless steel on the inside. Each work of art, each piece of furniture, each and every object magical or not was placed with more forethought than Niall had ever given anything in his life. 

He liked the house. It wasn't anywhere that he would want to live, but it was an interesting place to visit.

Leaving his BMW parked in the semi-circular drive, Niall walked up the slate front steps and rang the bell. A moment later Seondeok's son answered the door. 

"Mr. Lynch," Henry Cheng said with a friendly smile. His hair made him look about a foot taller than he actually was. "What are you doing on this side of the continent? Is Mother expecting you?"

"She should be," Niall said, smiling. "Henry. How are ya?"

"All well and good," Henry said, stepping aside to let Niall into the smooth, polished front hall. "Summer break is summer break. Mother keeps dragging me on hikes in the mountains since she can't corner any of the other Cheng children to do it."

Niall tilted his head. "Are they staying with your father then?"

"Yes," Henry said. "They like him better. I would be upset, but that means I get Mother all to myself. It's better when it is just her and me."

He led Niall down a short flight of steps to their right and into the vast living room. The wall ahead of them was one huge window looking out over the water, which today was a darker, steelier shade than the overcast sky. 

"Have a seat," Henry said. "Or whatever you prefer. Mother's up in her office, I'll go find her." And with that he scurried off.

Niall walked over to the large window and looked out for a moment, staring at the flocks of seagulls and the distant specks of a few brave boats out on the water today. Then he turned, wandering over to examine a glass case of artfully embellished daggers that all looked older than the United States and stunningly preserved.

A voice behind him said, "One of those was forged from a falling star and is rumored to be able to cut through the very fabric of existence."

"Have you ever tested it?" Niall asked, turning and giving Seondeok an amused look.

She shook her head, lightly folding her arms over her chest as she walked over to stand beside him. "I was too concerned about entropy. Science and magic are a far more delicate balance than people realize. When one begins to consider moving things from universe to universe, one must also remember the laws of thermodynamics. I am hoping someday someone might look into it, until then, I will keep things in our world."

"Oh yes of course I agree completely," Niall said, nodding. "I definitely understood what you just said." Then he smiled. "It's good to see you, Seon," he said, leaning in to touch a light kiss to her cheek. "That's from Aurora. She says hello. She would have come, but we didn't want to leave the boys alone after what happened."

"Is Matthew alright?" Seondeok asked as she gestured for them to sit on the minimalist black leather couch that stood nearby. 

"Aye, he's got a sturdy head on his shoulders, he bounces back quickly." Niall watched intently as Seondeok sat. She was a striking woman, hovering somewhere between beautiful and handsome, and had an oddly frenetic energy about her. Some part of her always seemed to be moving, whether it was her eyes darting to take in her surroundings, or her fingertips tapping against her leg, or her whole self shifting from one position to another.

"Henry is making tea for us," she said. "But you should tell me what it is that you could not say over the phone."

Niall nodded, rubbing his jaw, then leaning back, one arm draped over the back of the couch. "When I was in this business last, I was damn good at it, but I also made a lot of mistakes. One of which cost me far too dearly."

"Yes," said Seondeok. She used the fingertips of one hand to brush her long, black hair back from her face.

"I don't want to be there again," Niall said. "I don't want to lie to the people I care about and I don't want to lose anyone else. Declan should never have—" he broke off, coughing and shaking his head "—that should never have happened. I'm doing things differently this time. That being said, if you're going to help me there's something you need to know."

Seondeok's dark eyes widened. "You are going to tell me where it is?"

Niall gave her a tight smile and spread his arms. "It's right here, darlin'."

"Excuse me?" Seondeok said, arching an eyebrow.

"It's me," Niall said, tapping the fingers of one hand against his chest. "I'm the bloody fucking Greywaren. I can take things out of my dreams."

For several seconds Seondeok stared at him, then abruptly she threw her head back and began laughing. She hit her palm against the couch cushion, then pointed at Niall. "You are such an absolute fool, Niall Lynch. Gods above."

"Sure I'll give ya that one," Niall said.

"You know that Greenmantle has tipped others off?" Seondeok said, expression sobering just a little, though her eyes remained wide. "As we speak collectors from all over are sending their men in to search your little town for the Greywaren. And so I ask you again—what are you going to do?"

"I'm a magical creature, Seon," Niall said. "I'm also older, and wiser, and ready to teach them all a fucking lesson."

***

Friday morning at 300 Fox Way was no more or less wild than usual, and Blue had finally managed to find a quiet corner to tuck herself away in with a book when her mother bellowed from the front hall, "BLLUUUUEEE! ONE OF YOUR BOYS IS HERE!"

Blue unfolded herself from the shelf she'd been sitting on and darted down the hall, holding onto her many layers of skirts so they didn't get caught on anything or anyone. She vaulted right over two younger cousins playing on the floor, then looked up and saw Ronan standing just inside the front door, wearing a sleeveless hoodie, jeans, and a bemused expression as he took in what small section of the household chaos he could see from where he stood.

"Hey," Blue said, coming to a stop in front of him. "What's up?"

"You doing anything right now?" Ronan asked.

Blue  _was_ doing something, but hanging out with Ronan was much more appealing so she turned to locate her boots in the pile of miscellaneous footwear that hugged the bottom of the coat tree to her left. "Mom!" She called. "I'm going out with Ronan!"

Maura's head popped out from the reading room, looking deeply suspicious. " _Excuse_ me?"

"Oh my god," Blue groaned. "I mean we're going somewhere together. I'm not dating him. He doesn't even like girls."

"Oh," Maura said, the scowl vanishing. "Well that's a relief. Go have fun you two."

Blue groaned even louder and looked at Ronan as her mother disappeared again. "Sorry about that. I didn't... she's just glad that she doesn't have to worry about us kissing."

Ronan's eyebrows went even higher. "What."

At least Blue knew now if  _Ronan_  didn't know, it meant that Gansey hadn't told anyone about her secret. Pulling her second boot on she stood up and said quietly, "If I kiss my true love, he's going to die."

"What the hell kind of magic power is that?" Ronan asked.

Blue scowled and punched his arm lightly. "It's not a magic power, it's a curse. Or something. I'm not sure. And I still haven't figured out if it's going to be the kiss that kills him or something else and the kiss is just going to be when it happens."

"Shit man," Ronan said. "That sucks."

She gazed at him for a moment, then smiled gratefully. She wasn't really in the mood to go into the details of her feelings on the matter, and thankfully Ronan didn't seem to want to hear them. "So. Where are we going?"

"I have to make a delivery," Ronan said, leading the way out towards where his car was parked. "But to a potentially hostile party, so I figured I could use some muscle as backup."

***

Twenty minutes later Blue wished she had asked where they were going exactly before getting into the car. Ronan had driven them out to one of the strange little exurb developments outside Henrietta, a vast plot of land filled with winding streets of McMansions in various states of architectural blasphemy. 

"People who live in houses like this spend a hundred bucks on designer yoga clothes that say 'Namaste, Bitch' on them," Blue said, peering out the window with her lip curled. "People who live in houses like this think quinoa is going to cure cancer and that they're open minded because they sometimes say hello to the Hispanic guy who delivers their copies of the Wall Street Journal."

Ronan snorted loudly. "People who live in houses like this participate in the Purge."

"Seriously, who do you know out here?" Blue asked.

In reply, Ronan nodded out the front window of the BMW, which he had just swung into a driveway that was already occupied by a white Mitsubishi Evo. Blue let out an exasperated groan. "You have got to be kidding me."

"Listen," Ronan said as he switched off the engine then reached back to grab a bag out of the backseat. Whatever was inside it sounded like lots of little plastic bits. "Kavinsky is up to something. I don't think he's been trying to get my attention because he has a crush on me or anything. Just come with, I promise if you don't understand I'll explain it after."

Blue held her hands up in resignation and got out of the car when he did. 

It was a warm, muggy day, partially overcast, and from out behind the house they could hear the low pulse of music. As the wind picked up, a sterile chlorine smell wafted towards them. Ronan led the way around the side of the house and through an unlocked gate into the back... well, yard wasn't the right word since most of it was a paved over patio, the pool they had smelled occupying the middle of it. A few of Kavinsky's crew were in the pool or sitting around the edges, and Kavinsky himself sat in one of the lounge chairs, staring up at the clouds in the sky.

No one paid any attention to them as Ronan led the way over to Kavinsky. As they drew nearer, Kavinsky slid his sunglasses off to watch them. His pupils were the size of dinner plates.

"I'm guessing you didn't just have an eye doctor appointment," Ronan said, frowning.

"It's three o'clock somewhere, princess," Kavinsky said, grinning. "That's a strangely hetero partner you've got with you."

"She's not my partner she's my bodyguard," Ronan said. "She'll fuck you up, so watch what you say." He took a few more steps forward until he was standing directly above Kavinsky, then turned the bag over and let an avalanche of white-framed sunglasses pour down on him.

Kavinsky grunted, then started laughing. "Shit, gold-fucking-star for you, babydoll, you finally put two and two together!" He picked up a few of the pairs, looking them over, comparing them to his own. "You're shit at this if you were trying to make ones that match mine though."

Blue looked at Ronan, then at Kavinsky. She was dying to ask what Kavinsky thought Ronan was doing.

"You got my dad's necklace a little wrong too," Ronan replied, dropping the empty bag in Kavinsky's lap and folding his arms over his chest. 

"I do better when I can put my hands on something before trying to copy it," Kavinsky said.

Now Blue's eyes widened. "You can dream things too."

"Ding ding ding, five points for new age Barbie over here!"

Ronan snorted. "Careful man, I did say she'll fuck you up. Now what do you want? If you think we're going to bond over the fact that we've got the same ability..."

"Nah man," Kavinsky said. "I'm here to make you an offer. This little display tells me one thing, you're shit at getting your dream things to be exactly the way you want. That means Daddy hasn't been teaching you anything."

"Why do you think my dad has anything to do with this?"

"Because I'm not the fucking idiot around here," Kavinsky said. "Like father, like son. I know you, you know me. I'm here to make you an offer, Princess. One you won't refuse if you're smart."

Ronan's lip curled. "Oh yeah."

"Oh… _yeah_ …" Kavinsky said. He stepped closer to Ronan. "I'll teach you, Lynch. I'll teach you how to be a dream thief. We're two of a kind, after all, the only ones in this godforsaken shitstack of a town, and we aren't gonna waste this  _gift_. Me and you. This is your chance to make something of yourself, man. Something  _amazing_. Fuck what your dad says; he's a fucking coward and you know it. Where do you think I get all my shit from? I'm a goddamn dream master!"

"And what are you gonna want from me in return?"

"Nothing!"

"Yet," Ronan said. If the idea of letting Joseph Kavinsky teach him anything wasn't setting off enough warning bells in his head, he knew how this boy worked. Nothing was free, nothing was offered without an ulterior motive. Ronan made a dismissive flicking motion with his fingers. "I'm not interested. I just wanted  _you_  to know that  _I_  know what you're playing at."

Kavinsky's smirk dropped several degrees in temperature. "Whatever," he said. "You'll be back, Lynch. After all, here you are, driving all the way out to my house. That tells me something. My offer stands, so sleep on it, give it some thought, I'll be waiting." His gaze slid over to Blue then and he seemed to focus on her for the first time, looking her over and sizing her up. The smile he gave her was positively lascivious. "And  _you_  sweetheart, you can come back anytime. I wouldn't mind teaching you a few things too."

Blue held up both middle fingers at him, which just made Kavinsky laugh. Pursing her lips, Blue reached for Ronan's arm. "Lynch, come on, we're wasting our time here." Then, to Kavinsky she added, "And you,  _sweetheart_. I feel sorry for you. There's one reason why boys like you act the way you do and that's because deep down you know you are just sad and pathetic."

"Call me," Kavinsky said to Ronan, "if you get bored with playing with manic-pixie-dream-bitch here." He turned around and started towards the sliding doors that lead into the house.

"Manic pixie dream bitch," Blue said slowly. She pondered the phrase for a moment, then  laughed and took Ronan's arm as they headed back to the car.


	8. Chapter 8

The Gray Man was taking a risk. While he was certain that Niall and Ronan Lynch were both away from home, Matthew Lynch was the one who knew his face. He would just have to hope Matthew Lynch was not the one who answered the door, or that he knew to keep his mouth shut.

The Gray Man continued walking up the winding drive of the Barns. He had his suit jacket slung over his shoulder, and was letting sweat build up on his forehead, running his fingers through his hair every so often. By the time he reached the front door of the farmhouse and rang the bell, he looked charmingly disheveled.

Aurora Lynch answered. She smiled a pleasant smile as she opened the door and peered at him.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Ma'am," the Gray Man said with a weary grin. "It's just my car broke down not far down the road and my cellphone isn't getting any reception... do you have a phone I might be able to use?"

"Oh," Aurora said, nodding, but not making any move to invite him inside. "Yes, of course, I'll go get it, just a moment..." She turned and disappeared into the house, leaving the Gray Man on the front porch. He did not miss the fact that she locked the screen door from the inside. Maybe she was smarter than Greenmantle gave her credit for. Not that a screen door would stop the Gray Man if he _really_ wanted to get inside, but that wasn't what he was here for.

Pushing up his sleeve, the Gray Man looked at his Apple watch. It displayed an app that was connected to the EMF reader tucked into his pocket. The readings were flashing quite strongly, but as Aurora Lynch walked further and further away from him, the readings got steadily and steadily weaker. And when he looked up and saw her coming back down the hall with a cordless phone in one hand and a glass of lemonade in the other, the readings went back up again.

Aurora Lynch opened the door and stepped onto the porch. "A phone to call a tow truck, and a glass of lemonade because you look thirsty."

 _What the hell are you_? The Gray Man thought. What he said was, "Thank you, really, I appreciate this so much."

"Of course, it's no trouble," Aurora said, smiling. "I'll let you make your call..." She slipped back inside.

The Gray Man watched the readings on his watch drop again, then he dialed AAA.

One thing he agreed with Niall Lynch on, if you were going to lie at least be thorough about it.

***

The Gray Man was right about one thing at least: Aurora Lynch was not unintelligent. _Something_ was wrong that weekend that Niall went away.

First there was the visitor dressed all in gray.

Then Ronan disappeared off with one of his friends. Not Blue; they had gone out on Friday. On Saturday Ronan went back into town to see someone Aurora didn’t know.

Not long after that, the ley line began to fluctuate—not surges, but it felt the way it did when Niall used to dream things, big things.

And then Matthew fainted, several times. Rather, not so much fainted, he simply... fell asleep for a second or two no matter what he was doing. The first time had been at the lunch table. And then while they were planting flowers. And then in the middle of the hallway.

Aurora knew this had to do with Ronan. Instead of calling the doctor she called her husband.

Niall answered before the first ring had even finished. "Love, what is it?"

"I need you to come home," Aurora whispered. "Something's very wrong."

***

Niall wasn't able to make it back to Henrietta until the middle of Sunday morning, and by then he was in a state of near hysterical panic. Aurora had refused to tell him just what was happening over the phone which meant one of two things: either it was bad enough to upset her but not catastrophic, or that it was _so_ catastrophic that she wanted to tell him in person.

The fact that she was standing stock-still on the front porch when he pulled the car up made Niall think it might be the second thing. He didn't even take his keys out of the car before getting out and running up the front walk to his wife.

"What's happened?" he asked, catching her gently by the shoulders, then moving his hands to cup her face. "My beauty, what's going on?"

Aurora's eyes were heartbreakingly worried. "I don't know where Ronan is," she whispered, her hands pressed to her chest over her heart. "Niall I don't know where he is and he isn't answering his phone. And Adam's missing too—he and Gansey went to D.C. but Gansey called last night to say Adam's disappeared. And Matthew keeps falling asleep."

Niall's heart skipped a beat. "Ronan," he whispered.

"I'm so sorry," Aurora said, and tears were running down her cheeks now, expression crumpling. "Niall I'm so sorry I don't—he s-said he was going out with one of his friends yesterday and he hasn't come back."

Niall folded her against his chest, holding her as tight as he possibly could, his face buried in her hair. Aurora clung to him, hands clutching at the back of his shirt as she cried for a few seconds into his shoulder. Finally Niall said, "I need you to stay here with Matthew, my angel, alright? Get the hunting rifle from the shed and keep it nearby just in case. I'm going into town. I'll find Ronan, I swear I will find him."

He drew back then and they both looked at each other. Aurora had a stricken, terrified expression on her face that was tearing Niall up inside so much that it took him a second to realize he had said the same thing right before the police called about Declan.

Niall looked up. Matthew was standing just inside the door, watching them. Leaning over to whisper in Aurora's ear, Niall pointed at Matthew, "See? Ronan isn't dead, my love. I'm going to bring him home."

***

First, Niall went to 300 Fox Way. He had mixed feelings about psychics, but who better to turn to when you had lost someone than people with a magic ability to find things?

Blue Sargent opened the door. "Mr. Lynch," she said. "What an unexpected surprise."

"Is Ronan here?" Niall asked, though he was fairly certain the answer was no.

Blue shook her head, expression immediately becoming worried. "Don't tell me he's missing too... I just saw him on Friday."

"Was he actin' strange at all?"

"Um," Blue shifted, biting her lip. "We uh...we went to Joseph Kavinsky's place."

Niall's jaw clenched, though the expression wasn't aimed at Blue. "And what did you do there?"

"Ronan..." Blue trailed off. "Kavinsky can do that thing you guys do. Taking things out of your dreams."

Niall ran a hand over his face. It was what he'd suspected then. He knew there were others out there with the same abilities... what were the odds of one of them finding Ronan? Just how many were there, exactly? He glanced to the side, trying to think of what to do next.

"Why don't you come inside?" Blue said. "My mom might be able to help or something."

"Sure," Niall said, because he didn't have any better ideas. He let Blue lead him into the cluttered, haphazard house and down the twisting narrow hall into the kitchen. Maura Sargent was just making what could theoretically be called a pot of tea, though it smelled more like a pot of organic fertilizer.

"Mom," Blue said loudly as they entered. "Mr. Lynch is here. Ronan's missing."

Maura turned with a frown, looking at Niall. "Him too?"

"Mmm," Niall hummed, nodding. " 'Rora said he went out Saturday morning and hasn't been back since. He's been in touch with that Kavinsky, but that doesn't tell me much."

Behind him in the hall the phone rang, and someone answered it. A second later a female voice bellowed, "BLUUEEEEEE I'M SUPPOSED TO SAY THEY FOUND ADAM AND HE'S ALIVE!"

"THANKS!" Blue hollered back. She looked at her mother and then at Niall but shook her head. "That's... something but I still have no idea where Ronan is..."

"I do," said a voice from the kitchen doorway.

They all turned.

"Mr. Gray," Maura said in surprise.

Niall scowled. "And who the hell are you?"

"This is Mr. Gray," said Blue. "He's mom's boyfriend sort of." At that Maura made an indistinct but not entirely dismissive scoff.

"Mr. Gray," Niall repeated, giving him a slow once-over. "How do you know where my son is—and more importantly how the fuck do you even know _who_ he is?"

Mr. Gray took a step into the room, daringly putting himself closer to Niall Lynch, who was already burning around the edges with cold fire. "I know more than that," he said, his pale eyes focused on Niall's dark ones. "Your son's the Greywaren isn't he."

There was a long, slow moment of absolute silence, and then Niall grabbed the Gray Man, one hand on his shoulder the other around his throat, slamming him with a loud _crash_ back against the refrigerator. Maura let out a startled shriek and jumped back, Blue just gasped.

"Who the _fuck_ are you?!" Niall snarled, fingers pressing so hard against the Gray Man's throat that he had to tip his head back to even try and gasp for air.

"I work for Colin Greenmantle," the Gray Man rasped. "And you need to listen to me if you don't want to lose another one of your kids."

For a second Niall continued to press on his throat, then he moved his hand away, though he kept one arm braced against the Gray Man's chest, pinning him to the refrigerator. "Start talking."

"Greenmantle sent me here to look for the Greywaren," Mr. Gray said. "That's what I've been doing."

"So you're an errand boy?" Niall asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mr. Gray considered that for a moment then admitted, "No, I'm a hitman."

Niall froze for a heartbeat, and then he said in a perfectly calm voice that was somehow a thousand times worse than when he was shouting, "D'ya see that knife on the counter there? You had better give me a good reason why I shouldn't drive it right into your throat and be done with it."

"First, you're not a killer," said Mr. Gray. He was just as calm. "It takes one to know one and I know you aren't. Second, I didn't shoot Declan Lynch."

Maura let out a strangled murmur of, "Jesus God."

Niall's lip curled. "I think you're a damn liar."

"I'm not," Mr. Gray said. "Look me in the eye, I'm telling the truth. I don't kill children."

"So you're a hitman with a conscience, is that it?" Niall asked.

"Something like that," Mr. Gray said, nodding. "Everyone has their limits. Well, mostly everyone. Someone clearly doesn't."

Niall eyed him, his expression still dripping venom. "Supposing you'll say next that you don't know who did kill my son?"

"Suppose you're right," said Mr. Gray.

Finally, Niall stepped back from him. Maura visibly relaxed. Mr. Gray straightened his clothes. Niall watched him. "I may not be a killer now," he said. "But if you're even thinkin' of telling Greenmantle about Ronan, I swear to God I'll learn plenty quick."

"I wasn't planning on telling him," Mr. Gray said. "But if you want my help you're going to have to tell me what you and Seondeok are up to."

"Fuck off," Niall said.

Mr. Gray raised an eyebrow. "I'm not joking. Do you want my help or not?"

"You think I'm just going to trust you like that?" Niall asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I'll tell you what," said Mr. Gray, nodding in the vicinity of Niall's pocket. "Take out your phone, call Greenmantle, tell him you have someone here who wants to talk to him."

Niall took out his phone, then stopped, tapping it against his other palm. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I know Greenmantle. And I now know what your son can do, and if Greenmantle gets his hands on a power like that he's going to become an unstoppable monster," the Gray Man said. He let out a breath. "Besides, he did... ask me to kill Declan."

"That was two bloody years ago," Niall said, dangerous again. "You kept working for him."

"He's got leverage on me," Mr. Gray said. "I wasn't in a position to deal with it then, I am now."

Niall pondered him for a long time, then he looked at Maura, silently asking her if she trusted this man. Maura nodded. Niall switched on his phone and dialed. He held it to his ear.

"You better have some happy news for me, Lynch," said Greenmantle.

"No. I do have someone here who wants to talk to you though," said Niall, before handing the phone to the Gray Man.

"Hi Colin," said the Gray Man. "I know where the Graywaren is. Also, I quit."

***

Ronan wasn't entirely sure if Gansey would have told Blue about his wrecking the Pig or not, but either way he was so proud of the replacement dream-Pig that his first stop was 300 Fox Way to show it off to her. But when he got out of the car on the curb outside Blue's house and looked up, it was not Blue who he saw coming down the front walk towards him, but his father. Blue was standing on the porch, and Maura too, but they appeared to be keeping a safe distance.

Niall appeared ready to burst with barely contained fury. "Where the _fucking hell_ have you been, ay?!" he hissed. "Your mother's been worried sick! I got home this morning and she's cryin' because she has no idea where you were and you weren't answering your damn phone!"

"Mom was crying?" Ronan asked. His brain wasn't quite caught up to the rest of the situation just yet, Kavinsky's sleeping pills must have still been clinging to his system. Everything seemed bright and a little hazy.

" _Yes_ ," Niall said He stopped in front of Ronan and looked at him long and hard, then he said, "Jaysus _Christ_ , Ronan! You look stoned out of your damn mind, what are you on? Did you _drive_ here?"

Ronan opened his mouth, but he didn't think lying to his father would do any good at all so he just shrugged and handed Niall the Camaro keys. "I dreamed it," he said.

"Excuse me?"

"The Camaro," Ronan said. "I killed Gansey's so I dreamed him a new one." That self-pride was coming back in waves again so he let out a little laugh. "Dad, look at it, it's _perfect_. K taught me how to take things out of my dreams and I did it perfectly!"

Niall looked down at the keys in his hand, then over at the car. After a second Ronan registered that Niall wasn't saying anything because his jaw was too tightly clenched. Finally he regained enough control to point at his own car, "Get in. I cannot even begin to tell you what a world of shite you're in for. I'm leaving these keys with Mrs. Sargent, then we're going home, and you'd better not expect to go anywhere else but home for the rest of the bloody summer."

***

When they got home Niall didn't seem to have anything else to say to him, and so Ronan slept. This time, he did not dream, not really, but a few times he woke suddenly because he thought he had felt Kavinsky's hand on his back or closing around his throat. Once when he woke he found his mother sitting on the edge of his bed, pressing a damp washcloth to his forehead. Once when he awoke he was alone. Another time, he could hear his father's raised voice downstairs.

It was not until early evening that Ronan woke again and actually felt awake. He sat up, then started when he realized he had been woken by the sound of his door opening. Adam stood there, peering in at him.

"Parrish," Ronan said raspily. "Jesus. Stop being a creep." He motioned him inside.

Adam slipped into the room, closing the door behind him and coming to sit on the edge of the bed. "Your dad," he said slowly, "is really, really mad at you. Were you actually on drugs?"

"Yeah," Ronan said, looking down and picking at a spot on the blanket. "Sleeping pills that Kavinsky made."

"You took something Joseph Kavinsky gave you?" Adam said, disgust in his voice. "Jesus, Ronan, you're lucky you're not dead!"

Ronan's head snapped up. "What the hell happened to _you_ this weekend anyway? I had like fifty voicemails from Gansey asking if I knew where you were and then one saying they found you."

Adam scratched his jaw. "I'm not sure. I blacked out. Cabeswater did something and I just... I don't know."

Ronan held onto his annoyance for a moment later and then let it dissolve into the air and blow away. Without really thinking he reached for Adam's hand. "Are you okay?"

Adam looked startled by the hand-holding, but he didn't pull his away. He just let it go limp in Ronan's grasp, looking down at their fingers like they were some alien creature resting on the bedspread. This was equal parts worrisome, and reassuring for Ronan. Then he said, "I'm not sure any of us are okay."

That was probably true.

Ronan brushed his thumb against the inside of Adam's wrist.

"I said we could talk when I got back," Adam said quietly. He pulled his hand from Ronan's, and for a flash second Ronan's chest began to seize up with disappointment, but Adam just needed his hand to scoot a little closer, and once he had done that he reached up and put his calloused fingers against Ronan's jaw. His thumb rested for a second against Ronan's chin, and then he brushed it against his lips, curiously, tracing the shape of Ronan's mouth.

Ronan tried to lighten the tension that was so thick he could have molded it like clay. "This doesn’t sound like talking, Parrish," he said, but his laugh sounded forced.

It might have been the wrong thing to say. Adam looked mildly stung and let his hand fall to his lap.

"Hey," Ronan said quietly, then he leaned in and kissed him.

The first time Adam just sat there, but the second he leaned into Ronan, turning his head, hand cupping the back of Ronan's skull, fingers threaded in his hair. When they parted and rested their foreheads together, they were both breathing heavily.

"God damn it, Ronan," Adam whispered, lips so close to Ronan that Ronan could feel Adam's breath on his mouth, and it made him want to kiss Adam again, and again, and again. Adam let out a harsh sigh. " _Damn_ it."

"What?" Ronan said. They still hadn't moved from their foreheads-together-hands-on-each-others-arms pose. "This is okay, right?"

Adam blew out a mouthful of air through clenched teeth, then finally sat back so he could see Ronan's face. He looked exhausted. Still, he managed a little smile. "Yeah, it's definitely okay."

Ronan looked at him. Just before the silence could turn awkward he asked, "So like, you wanna be my boyfriend or something, Parrish?"

Adam blinked. He started to smile, and then he started to laugh, tipping forward so the side of his head rested against Ronan's shoulder. Still laughing, he nodded and said, "Yeah, Lynch, I wanna be your boyfriend."

Ronan grinned, wrapping both arms around Adam's shoulders and holding him tightly.

They had about thirty more seconds to themselves before footsteps in the hall made Adam sit up, and then the door opened, revealing Ronan's father. He looked at the two boys on the bed, smiles still fading on their lips. "I see you're awake finally," he said to Ronan.

"Yeah," said Ronan. He didn't move from the bed. "Are you mad at me?"

Niall stuck his lower lip out a little, folding his arms over his chest and leaning against the doorframe. "Ronan," he said with a long sigh, and it sounded like he meant to say, 'you'd better believe it, kid.' "I don't think I've ever been this furious or disappointed in you in your entire life. 'Mad' does not even begin to cover what I'm feeling right now."

Ronan hated this. He wished his father would just yell at him and get it over with.

"Whatever drugs you were taking," Niall said, voice getting even quieter. "They were momentarily killing you. Matthew kept falling asleep and that is the only thing that would cause that. Do you understand that, Ronan? You could have _died_."

Adam turned to look at Ronan, frowning.

"I wouldn't have had to go to Kavinsky if you had just taught me how to use my powers," Ronan said.

Niall straightened. "I had my reasons for not teaching you. Declan was killed becau—"

"Declan died because you fucked up!" Ronan snapped. He didn't mean to. Something vicious and caustic had been seething within him and only now burst forth, unstoppable and cruel. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Adam giving him a strange look, but he kept his gaze on his father. "That's what it is, isn't it? You fucked up and he got killed and now you're trying to overcompensate by keeping me from doing anything!"

His father stared at him. It seemed, for half a second, that Niall _was_ going to start shouting again, but then he blinked, and a single tear ran down the side of his nose. He quickly turned his head to the side as though that would keep Adam and Ronan from noticing, even though both his eyes were wet now. "Alright," he said, so quietly that Ronan could barely hear him. "Do whatever the hell you want. I don't care anymore." And with that he turned and walked back downstairs.

Adam was staring at Ronan, his mouth open. "Jesus Christ, Ronan," he said.

" _Don't_ ," Ronan said, his voice cracking. "Just don't, okay? _God_." He bent over, pulling his knees to his chest and burying his face in his arms.

***

St. Agnes' was completely empty when Niall slipped through the door, dipping his fingers in the holy water font and crossing himself before walking down the main aisle towards one of the pews near the altar. He sat down and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the back of the pew in front of him and his forehead against the heels of his palms, eyes closed. After a little while of sitting there he heard light footsteps on the tile floor, and then Father Deleon's low, familiar voice say, "Niall?"

Niall sat back, giving the priest a tight smile. "Father."

Father Deleon was a tall, broad shouldered man in his late fifties, his jet-black hair touched elegantly at the temples with gray, his eyes pensive behind wire rimmed glasses. He had been the priest at St. Agnes' for as long as Niall had been in Henrietta, which was quite a while. Fr. Deleon sat down next to Niall, folding his hands in his lap. "I didn't see you or your family at service this morning. Is everything alright?"

"Oh…God, it's been a hell of a weekend," Niall said, then grimaced. "Ah, sorry."

"Don't worry, I said worse when I stubbed my toe yesterday," Fr. Deleon said, smiling, and they both chuckled at that. Then more seriously he asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Niall shifted, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ronan's getting into trouble. And I just… sometimes I feel like it's all wasted. Everything I keep tryin' to do, it just… fails." He paused for a moment, but Fr. Deleon simply waited patiently for him to go on. Niall sighed. "When I was a little boy I used to dream of having a farm in the countryside, away from the city and all its violence. I used to dream of having a beautiful wife who loved me, because I wanted so desperately for _someone_ to love me. And when I got older I dreamed of having this quiet life, and a family and…" He trailed off, gesturing helplessly.

"You don't think you've done that?" Fr. Deleon asked. "You have a farm. Aurora is a wonderful, sweet woman who is devoted to you. Your sons are strong and incredible young men."

"And one of them is dead," Niall said, bitterly. "And I try so hard to fix the mistakes I've made, and to give my family… something, but how can I keep all the darkness in the world away from them when I can't even fight the darkness that's up here?" He tapped one finger against his temple, looking at Fr. Deleon with a pleading expression. "I don't know what to do anymore. I can tell I'm losing Ronan too… God, I don't know what to do."

For a few minutes Fr. Deleon just looked at him in thoughtful silence, and then he said, "Niall, I don't want you to come to confession this week."

"What?" Niall said, frowning. "I always do."

"I know," he said, nodding. "And this week I want you to not. The darkness you talk about that's inside you, it's there because you are not letting it go. God's forgiveness can only go so far in fixing things. You need to forgive yourself first." And then he leaned closer, putting a hand on Niall's shoulder. "I know there are things about Declan's death that you have not told people, and that's fine. But whatever it is, you need to forgive yourself for it. The best thing to do is not so much wrestle your demons as stop keeping them locked up."

Niall was quiet for a second then he nodded. "Thank you, Father."

"Go home to your family," Fr. Deleon said softly. "I'll see you soon."

***

The next morning Ronan woke to gray light spilling in his window and a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. When he came downstairs he could see his father moving around in the kitchen, and it took Ronan several minutes to get over the guilt and fear building inside him and actually go into the room.

Niall was washing dirt from his hands at the sink. He looked up when Ronan appeared in the doorway. After a beat he grabbed a towel to dry his hands, saying as he did, "D'you know what the first thing I thought was, right after they told me Declan was dead?"

"No," Ronan said, quietly.

"I thought to myself... I wish I could go back five minutes to before he was dead," Niall said. "Except he'd already been dead when they found him, so it really was just going back five minutes to before I _knew_."

Ronan chewed his lip. "Dad, I'm really—"

Niall held up his hand. "I know. That was probably the cruelest thing you've said to me in a long while, but I know. You're hurting too, and I think I haven't acknowledged that enough." He set the towel down, then nodded towards the door. "Come outside with me, I want to show you something."

Wordlessly, Ronan followed. It was a shaggy day outside, the air felt wet, and smelled like an oncoming storm. The clouds above shifted and roiled in strange patterns, and the trees were eerily silent. Ronan couldn't hear anything except for the occasional lonesome cry of a bird. He didn't know where his mother, Matthew or Adam were. Out in the fields the cows seemed to be huddling together in a mass of swishing tails and pricked ears.

Niall led Ronan to the large barn, the one he had been keeping locked. When he reached out and touched his fingers to the lock, something inside the barn let out a growl so low that Ronan felt it in his chest rather than hearing it.

"Dad?" Ronan said.

But his father didn't answer, he just took a key out of his pocket and unlocked the doors, pushing them wide open. A little light spilled in, but the far back of the barn was completely, impossibly pitch black. Still, when Niall took a step forward, stopping in the square of light from the open doors, Ronan stepped up beside him.

"Forty-six years," Niall said in the same tone he had used when telling stories, back in the time when he still told stories. "I've lived through the 'Troubles' in Northern Ireland, bombings and police raids and getting my face bashed because I was walkin' on the wrong block... I've lived through bein' poor on the streets of Boston and New York. I lived through burying one of my own children. That's forty-six years of nightmares."

Before Ronan could ask his father anything, a flicker of movement caught his eye. He looked at the very edge of the shadows—then instinctively took a step back as two yellow, pupil-less eyes stared back at him.

Niall put a hand on his shoulder. "You're alright," he said quietly. "It won't hurt ya."

For a second it looked like the shadows themselves were stretching forward, and then Ronan realized it was something stepping out of the shadows, something black, blacker than the blackest night, blacker than blood spilled into a pot of India ink. One long, sinuous limb stretched out, with a long-fingered hand on the end of it, reaching, then twisting around before planting flat on the ground to pull the rest of it out.

If Hieronymus Bosch had commissioned Salvador Dali and Junji Ito to design a monster together, that would be what Niall Lynch's nightmare looked like. Ronan had been expecting something demonic, but the thing that stepped out of the shadows looked like multiple human bodies had been first melted together, and then stretched like silly putty. It had no legs or feet, just arms, arms that bent the wrong way and hands that scrabbled at the floor as it swung itself forward, heads with mouths that gaped hung open lolled this way and that.

"That's your nightmare?" Ronan said, pressing closer to his father's side.

"My most recent one," Niall said, watching the thing as it stood there before them, a whole mess of horrific wrongness. "There's others."

Ronan looked over at him. "But they don't hurt you?"

"Sometimes they do," Niall said, holding out his still healing forearm. Then he wrapped his arm around Ronan's shoulders and steered him out of the barn, back into the sunlight, away from that horrific creature.

Ronan looked at him. "Can't you get rid of them? We killed my night horror, er, Mom did. Can't you kill yours?"

"I probably could," Niall said, locking the barn doors then turning to face Ronan.

"Then why don't you?"

Niall looked at him for a moment, then reached out and ruffled his hair. "Let's go back inside, ay? See what your mum and Matt and Adam are up to."

Ronan looked down, kicking a rock through the grass. "Dad… I'm sorry."

"I know," Niall said. "I know ya are."

"Am I still grounded?"

Niall just snorted and started back towards the house.

 


	9. Chapter 9

Very early in the morning on July 3rd, Seondeok was just sitting down at her bedroom vanity when her phone rang. She looked down at it, lying next to an array of Armani and Versace and Chanel perfume bottles. _Niall Lynch_ said the caller ID. Seondeok reached over and tapped the screen, answering and putting the phone on speaker.

"Good morning," she said, reaching up to wind her hair into a bun to keep it out of her face.

"It was Greenmantle," Niall said in response.

Seondeok regarded herself in the mirror. "What was Greenmantle?"

"Greenmantle had Declan killed." Niall sounded incredibly calm, which meant that he was incredibly furious and possibly, _probably_ about to do something incredibly stupid.

"You cannot tell me this was a surprise to you," Seondeok said. "He is the one most vocal about his desire for the Greywaren. What are you going to do?"

Niall snorted. "I'm going to Boston and I'm going to shoot him in the head."

"No, you are not."

"Seon."

"Niall." She had picked up a tube of concealer but hadn't opened it, instead tapping it against the edge of the table to punctuate her words. "What will happen if you do this? They will arrest you, throw you in prison, or deport you and _then_ throw you in prison. And how will that help any of your family?"

On the other end of the line Niall was silent for a few seconds, then he let out a frustrated grunt. "Damn it. Damn you and your logic."

Seondeok shook her head. "You called because you knew I would talk you out of it. And I will tell you that we are sticking to the original plan."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Niall said, letting out a long, deflated sigh. "I've got someone who I think can set up that meeting we talked about."

"Call me back when you know for certain."

"I will," Niall promised. "I am going to speak with him tomorrow."

"Wonderful," Seondeok said. "And say hello to Aurora for me."

"I will. Take care of yourself, luv."

Seondeok leaned back to raise an eyebrow at the phone, as though Niall would be able to see that. "Don’t you dare start _that_ again.”

“Oh, for Chrissake,” Niall snorted. “I was—Nothin'. I was just nothin'. _Bye_ , Seon.”

 She merely laughed and reached over to end the call

***

When Niall got off the phone with Seondeok he left his office and went upstairs. Ronan and Matthew were outside fixing one of the fences. Adam was in town at work. The house was unusually quiet, except for the radio singing softly to itself in the kitchen. Niall headed to the master bedroom, where he found Aurora standing beside their bed folding a basket of clean laundry.

For a moment Niall stood in the doorway watching her. He thought about what his life had been like when she first started appearing in his dreams. He thought about what his life had been like that morning when he woke and found that she was lying beside him on the bed, her soft fingers stroking his forehead as she waited for him to come back to himself.

Before that day, he had been trying to escape. Trying to escape his uncle's home, because no one understood him there. Trying to escape Ireland because it was hard and dangerous there. Trying to find a quiet place because at first all he'd wanted was somewhere that he could dream and have a family and be happy.

Greed had gotten the better of him, like it had gotten the better of so many men.

His heart ached.

Niall walked over to stand behind Aurora, wrapping his arms around her, burying his face against the side of her neck. Aurora leaned against him, lifting her hand to reach back and stroke his cheek.

"Hello, my darling," she said. "Is everything alright?"

Niall nodded, turning his head to kiss the side of her jaw. Aurora let out a soft laugh, tilting her head and dropping whatever article of clothing she'd been folding.

"Niall," she said, amused and gently chiding. "I'm in the middle of something."

"Mhmm," he murmured, smiling against her skin as he let his hand move up her side, thumb just brushing the curve of her breast. "And I should be outside keepin' an eye on the boys, and yet here we are…"

Aurora inhaled, then laughed again and playfully slapped at his arm. "Stop that. Go do your work, you incorrigible man."

Niall laughed, but he did let go, only leaning in to give his wife a light kiss. "I love you, my angel, my beauty."

"I love you too," Aurora said, and she briefly put her hand to the side of his face, gazing into his eyes. Her expression grew serious for a moment. "It will be alright, Niall. We'll get through this."

He took her hand, holding it in his and pressing a kiss to her fingers. "Aye, my love, I hope you're right."

***

It was late when Adam got back to the Barns. The sun had sunk into a dusky twilight, the sky still showing an echo of deep blue, but it was well past dinner time and the fireflies were out in abundance. The evening air was pleasant, warm, but threatening of a hot day to follow. He pulled his Hondayota up next to Ronan's elegant machine and opened the door.

When Adam stepped out of the car and looked up at the house, he thought for a moment that he had wandered into a dream.

Someone, Aurora, most likely, had hung strings of those soft round yellow outdoor lights along the eaves of the porch and twined them around the support posts. All four of the Lynches were sitting outside: Matthew and Aurora on the porch swing, Ronan on the top step, and Niall on one of the wicker chairs, sitting on the edge of the seat as he played a stringed instrument with a teardrop shaped body that Adam only just recently learned was called an Irish bouzouki. The sound was like a guitar but more delicate, and overlaying the scene made it feel like something from a movie.

Adam gave himself a little shake, then started up the front walk towards the porch.

"Hey Parrish!" Ronan said, grinning widely as he spotted Adam. "Happy birthday!"

Adam stopped at the bottom of the stairs. "What?"

Ronan laughed. It was bright, genuine laugh that Adam couldn't remember if he'd heard before. "Yeah dummy, it's your birthday. Did you forget? Come up here."

Adam came up the stairs. Niall struck a final chord and set the instrument aside, gesturing with a flourish to the little porch table on which sat a cake and a wrapped present. Adam stared at them both, feeling weirdly disconnected.

"Happy birthday sweetheart," Aurora said, beaming at him.

"Thank you," Adam said, but it came out rather mechanical sounding. "You really didn't have to…"

Niall made a dismissive motion with his hand. "Nonsense. Here…" He handed Adam the wrapped gift. "And don't look so worried, it's nothin' fancy, just something we thought you might like."

Adam held the small, rectangular package and looked down at it. His experience with presents from people significantly more well-off than he was were mostly from Gansey, and he didn't know what to expect under the brightly colored wrapping paper. When he finally stole himself to unwrap it, however, what he found inside was an old, well-loved hardcover copy of _The Hobbit_.

"That," Niall said, "was the first thing I bought when I came to this country. I read it over and over, and it was helpful to me while I was going through the biggest change of my life. I'm hopin' it'll be the same to you."

Adam held the book tightly. He closed his eyes for a second, took a breath, then opened them again and looked first at Niall, then Ronan, then Aurora and Matthew. Without realizing it, Adam began to smile. "Thank you," he said. "This is…great. Thank you."

***

The Fourth of July came with both blistering heat and the promise of a summer thunderstorm on the air, not that anyone was about to let that get in the way of celebrations. The Gray Man had been enjoying as quiet a morning as he could manage stretched out on his bed with a book, but when a sharp knock sounded at his door, he knew that any hopes of peace were history.

This was confirmed when he opened the door to find Niall Lynch on the other side.

"Dean Allen," said Lynch with a smile.

"Niall Thomas Lynch," said the Gray Man. "Are we playing a game?"

Lynch waved his hand. "No, I wanted you to know I did my homework. I'm guessin' Greenmantle has too? What's he holding over you? Your brother?"

The Gray Man eyed him. "You don't need to threaten me into joining you, you know."

"I'm not," Lynch said. "I'm proving that I know what I'm doing. Now, can you get ahold of Laumonier?"

"Laumonier?" The Gray Man repeated, raising his eyebrows. "Yes. Do I think that's a good idea? No."

Lynch gestured with one hand. "Here's the thing; you know as well as I do that Greenmantle is a deadman switch. He goes down, who knows what kind of shite will rain on us. How do you prevent that? You bring all the playing pieces into your corner."

The Gray Man laughed. "Laumonier won't follow you."

"Ah," Lynch said, smiling. "That's where you've got it all wrong. I've no interest in being top dog here."

"But?"

"But I know someone who does." Lynch gave the Gray Man a pointed look.

The Gray Man let out a slow breath. "Seondeok. You trust her?"

"She's my friend," Lynch said. Then he smiled a cold, hard smile. "But don't go mistakin' that for trust."

***

Ronan, still under house arrest, had been left at home. Adam was in Henrietta with Persephone, the two of them answering some strange and inexplicable call to repair the ley line. Niall had taken Matthew into town so Matthew could see the parade with his friends and Niall could work, presumably, though Ronan had no idea what work his father was attending to. And so, Ronan spent the morning and afternoon doing chores around the farm and puzzling over exactly what was going to be done about Joseph Kavinsky.

It was late in the afternoon when Ronan's phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at the screen, which showed a text from Matthew:

_whats up, mofo_

And as Ronan was puzzling over the very un-Matthew like phrase, an identical text came in, this time from Kavinsky's phone.

_whats up, mofo_

Ronan froze. Then he called Kavinsky back. "Where the hell is my brother?" he snarled.

"I assume you mean the younger brother," Kavinsky said. "Cuz I'm pretty sure your older one is in the graveyard."

"Fuck you," Ronan said. "Where is Matthew?"

"You see how it feels?" Kavinsky said. "I'm getting sick of you playing hard to get. I asked if you were coming to the Fourth. I asked _nicely_. You keep ignoring my calls, running off to Dick Gansey or Trailer Trash or mommy and daddy. So here's how it's gonna go: I better see you here soon, or I'm gonna start figuring out which drugs work best on your little brother. Oh, and babydoll?"

Ronan ground his teeth together. "What?"

"Blow me."

Ronan hung up on him. He squeezed his phone in his hand and cursed under his breath, then he called his father.

"Yeah?" Niall said when he answered after a couple rings.

"Dad is Matt with you?"

"No he's been out with his friends all day, I'm goin' to pick him up later."

Ronan swore. "He's not with his friends, Kavinsky has him."

There was a long pause and then the sound of Niall also swearing. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," Ronan said. "Dad I'm coming into town, meet me at the—you know the drag strip? Yeah, that one, meet me there, I'm going to get Gansey and Blue…"

***

The scene that they found at the drag strip when Ronan finally wheeled his BMW into the makeshift parking lot was this: Kavinsky's infamous Fourth of July party in all its pounding, earth shaking, sky illuminating glory. Music blasted from speakers, fireworks exploded, bodies in various shades of red-white-blue-neon moved everywhere drinking from red plastic cups and downing pills. The bass beat pounded into the marrow of Ronan's bones and the air was on fire.

He had pulled his car up next to his father's. Niall was waiting there, outlined every few seconds by an explosion of light.

"We have to find Matt!" Ronan shouted, so his father and Blue and Gansey could hear him.

Niall was full of fury. He nodded, then they all turned and plunged into the fray.

Beside him, Ronan heard Gansey say, " _Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more…_ "

It took them a long time to find Kavinsky. No one seemed to know where he was, and those that might have known were mostly not sober enough to even think about the question let alone answer it. And then, just when Ronan thought his father was about to start losing his temper, the sound of engines attracted everyone's attention to the swath of ground that was the actual drag strip.

Ten white Mitsubishi Evos roared out in a line. One pulled ahead of the others, sending up a cloud of dust that was cut through by the two glaring headlights. Around them, the crowd exploded with cheers and delighted screams. More fireworks burst above their heads.

"That's him!" Ronan snarled, and took off running.

" _Ronan!_ " Niall and Gansey shouted in unison, but that didn't stop him.

Just as Ronan reached the car, Kavinsky clambered out. He took in the sight of Ronan charging at him, with Niall, then Blue and Gansey close on his heels. Kavinsky began to laugh. "Wow!" he crowed. "Two for one Lynch deal! Wasn't expecting you to go running to _both_ your daddies."

Ronan lunged forward, grabbing Kavinsky by the throat and slamming him back against the car. "Where's Matthew, you bastard? Where is he?"

"Ooh baby," Kavinsky crooned. He pushed his hips forward. Ronan let go of him, stepping back with a disgusted expression. Kavinsky laughed. His sunglasses slid down his nose a little and behind them his eyes were wide and terrible. "You want your little brother? You better worry about your own ass first." He held up his hand. Held between two fingers was a bright green pill. Kavinsky popped it into his mouth, patting his throat as he swallowed. "See you in a flash, sweetie."

Then his eyes rolled back and he slid to the ground, instantly asleep.

Ronan felt like he had inhaled dust. His insides burned, his heart threatened to break out of his ribcage. He stepped forward and tugged a plastic Ziploc bag out of Kavinsky's pocket. There was one last green pill in it. Closing his fist around the bag, Ronan turned and met his father's gaze. "Dad…" he said. "I'm sorry. I have to stop him."

"Go," Niall said, and there was both pride and worry in his voice. "We'll find Matthew. Just come back to me, Ronan, you hear? Come back."

"I will, I swear," Ronan said, then he shook the pill into his hand, and popped it into his mouth.

***

Niall watched Ronan sink to the ground, and every fiber of his being screamed at him not to turn his back, but he had to trust his older son. And so he turned to Gansey and Blue. "Right, those cars, we need to search every one of them, let's get a move on!"

Leaving Kavinsky and Ronan where they were, the three of them each ran to one of the nine remaining Mitsubishis and began to throw open doors and check in trunks. Niall moved frantically, adrenaline giving him speed even though he felt like he could barely breathe.

Door, open. Head in car. No Matthew.

Trunk, open. Still no Matthew.

Next car. Door, open, _no Matthew_ …

And then a deafening roar tore through the night. At first Niall thought it was thunder, but when he turned around he saw, rising up from the car where Ronan and Kavinsky were, a huge, winged, scaled beast with gaping jaws and burning eyes.

"Dear god!" Gansey cried from a few yards away.

Dear God indeed, Niall thought, unconsciously reaching up to touch his fingertips against the silver cross he wore. Dear God, how could you let a teenage boy open the gates of Hell?

"Ronan!" Niall shouted, torn between which of his sons needed rescuing more.

But Ronan was waking up. He seemed to take forever, then he was on his feet, looking across the distance between them and meeting Niall's gaze.

Ronan smiled. It was not a happy smile. It was a smile that said 'watch what I can do.'

Then he turned and lifted his arm above his head, the way he did when calling Chainsaw to him. It was not the tiny black raven who rose up on the other side of the car, however, it was… a new night horror. Instead of inky black, this one was bone-white, with rolling red eyes and gleaming alabaster beaks and claws. It shot up into the night and screamed, spreading its wings wide before spiraling after Kavinsky's dragon.

For just a second, Niall's heart soared with it, though his eyes were still on his son.

Ronan was not the one who needed saving right now.

***

The albino night horror was perfect. It did absolutely everything Ronan needed it to do which was, mostly, keep the dragon away from the cars, keep the dragon away from Blue and Gansey and his father as they searched for Matthew.

Kavinsky was looking at him. He picked up his sunglasses and put them on. "Boom!" he shouted.

The dragon swerved and grabbed one of the cars that had already been searched, flipping it over and then belching a vortex of fire at it. The flames reflected in the dark lenses of Kavinsky's sunglasses, and he laughed and laughed. His teeth were light lightning.

"You don't have to do this!" Ronan shouted.

"I do!" Kavinsky snarled at him. "You made this ugly, Lynch! We could have been great together, but now you get nothing!"

Ronan watched as Kavinsky clambered onto the roof of the car. He pointed at the others, and the dragon once again dodged Ronan's night horror to flip another two. Someone shouted, and Ronan saw his father grab both Blue and Gansey, throwing them back from the last car then standing between them and the oncoming monster.

The dragon flipped the cars, then set the last one on fire.

"He wasn't in any of them!" Ronan's father shouted, so loud that Ronan heard his voice crack.

Which meant only one thing.

Ronan's gaze dragged slowly to the car that Kavinsky was standing on. Kavinsky's smile was wider now, and he spread his arms. Above them the dragon was climbing higher and higher.

"No," Ronan muttered. He sprinted for the open driver's side door, listening to the sound of actual thunder echoing in the distance and the steady beat of wings in the darkening sky. He threw himself on the driver's seat, grabbing the trunk release, pushing himself back up and running around to where Matthew was already climbing out of the trunk.

Everything got very slow.

He grabbed Matthew, hauling him back from the car, from the dragon now diving straight for the car, and for Kavinsky, who stood like some dark Christ the Redeemer, arms spread towards the sky.

Their knees hit dirt and gravel, Matthew cried out. So did the dragon.

"I've got you," Ronan whispered, wrapping himself around his brother.

Another pair of arms encircled them both. Without opening his eyes, Ronan turned his head to rest against his father's shoulder.

There was a deafening boom, screaming, a wave of heat, and then… nothing.

Ronan was still clutching Matthew to his chest, eyes squeezed shut.

"Jaysus," Niall rasped, his grip on both boys remaining just as firm.

Finally, Ronan opened his eyes and looked over. The wreck of the Mitsubishi smoldered nearby, and not far past it lay the body of the dragon, almost completely still.

"Is it dead?" Matthew asked.

"No," said Niall. "But its dreamer is."

***

The Sunday following the Fourth of July was also hot. As the Lynch family trailed out of St. Agnes' with the rest of the congregation, Niall, Matthew and Ronan all had their suit jackets slung over their arms or shoulders, and Aurora was fanning herself with a service program. They paused for a moment to speak to Fr. Deleon, then headed to where the car was parked.

They didn't get in the car, however. Instead, Niall reached into the back seat and took out a bouquet of brilliant and impossible flowers that somehow had not wilted even a little, despite being left in the car for the entire duration of the church service. He handed the flowers to Aurora to carry, and then the four of them crossed the parking lot to the shady cemetery in the lot beside the church.

Ronan swallowed, keeping his eyes on his feet as they walked in under the willow trees and down the twisting gravel path between rows and rows of burial plots dating back to long before Henrietta was Henrietta. He continued looking down as his parents led the way off the main path and through an area of newer stones, stopping finally in the middle of one row.

Only then did Ronan lift his gaze and look at the simple but elegant stone in front of them.

_Declan Thomas Lynch_

Aurora knelt in the grass with no worry of stains on the flowy material of the pants she wore. Smiling, she carefully put the impossible flowers in the holder beside the grave, then kissed her fingers before touching them to Declan's name.

Niall did not kneel, but he did reach out and touch the top of the stone with one hand, murmuring something.

Ronan felt a lump in his throat. Matthew, as though sensing this, wrapped an arm around his shoulders. A moment later Aurora joined them, also wrapping an arm around Ronan.

"I miss him," Ronan said.

"I know," his mother said softly, rubbing his back, though her gaze was on Niall, who still stood beside the gravestone, looking down at it.

Matthew was also looking at the gravestone with an unfocused expression, then, out of nowhere, he laughed. "Hey, Ro, you remember that time the ditch in the back flooded and we had the mud war? You, me and Declan?"

Ronan looked at him. "Weren't you like, five?"

"Yeah," Matthew gave him a lopsided grin. "But I still remember. It was great. You pushed Declan over and we thought he was gonna be mad but then he just laughed and started throwing mud too."

Aurora was laughing softly. "Oh, you boys were so filthy I made your father hose you all down in the driveway…"

"Worth it," Ronan said, quietly, but happily.

He looked at his father again. Niall still hadn't looked up from the grave, but now he was smiling as well, one hand resting over his heart.

***

Later that day, after they'd had lunch and picked up Adam and went back to the Barns, Ronan went looking for his father. He found Niall out in one of the equipment sheds, going through the array of various rusted tools that lived and died inside.

"Hey, dad?" Ronan said, after watching him for a moment or two.

"What is _up_ , Ronan," Niall said back in something close to an American accent, carrying out a post-holer that was well past its digging years.

"Do you have a sec?" Ronan said, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

Niall tossed the tool down with a clatter then wiped his hands on his work jeans and pulled out a tattered scrap of cloth to pat at the sweat on his forehead. "No, you're not still grounded," he said. "Savin' Matthew's life counts as a 'Get Out of Jail Free' card."

"Oh, well, cool, but that's not what I wanted to talk to you about." Ronan took a deep breath, wrapping his arms around himself.

"You alright?" Niall asked. "What is it?"

Ronan shifted again, looking down at his feet as he said quickly, "Adam and I are, um, sort of…we're dating."

His father looked at him, nodding. "Alright." Then he gestured at the pile of discarded equipment. "Help me carry some of this to the flatbed. I need to take it to the dump."

Ronan didn't move.

"Ah…Ronan," Niall said, his expression softening. "C'mere, you." He walked over and pulled Ronan into a fierce hug, one arm around his shoulders, the other hand resting on top of his head. Ronan clung to his father, gripping the material of his t-shirt. Niall held him tightly, kissing his forehead. "Your mum and I adore Adam, you know that. And I'm not upset that you like boys, alright? You don't need to worry. I want you to be happy, Ronan. That's all I want."

Ronan nodded, but he kept his eyes closed, and he didn't pull away for a long time.


	10. Chapter 10

Eventually summer came to an end, and with it the reality of the world outside Glendower and the ley line began to creep back into their minds. For most of the group this change arrived in the form of college applications and financial aid deadlines and pamphlets piling up on hall tables. Even so, the reminders of their summer adventures did not disappear entirely.

Cabeswater was back, but Blue's mother was missing. 

Ronan and Adam were an  _item_ , as Gansey had called it (making them both dissolve into snorting, undignified laughter), but neither of them knew what this would mean once school started again.

The ley line was awake, but how would they possibly have time to figure it out  _and_  not fail Senior year?

Ronan's father was up to something. Ronan's brother was still, and would always be, dead. 

Gansey's aged friend Professor Roger Malory was visiting from England and while he promised a great deal of help in the ley line department, he was also staying with Gansey at Monmouth and was very, very old.

No one knew what this year would bring, but they all knew it wouldn't be any easier than the summer.

***

"I bet now you're really glad you didn't move in at Monmouth, can you imagine having to listen to him chew like that every single morning."

"Ronan," Adam admonished, then he grinned and said, "I think I'd just stop eating breakfast."

Ronan crowed with laughter. Adam felt secretly pleased with himself, reaching around his boyfriend (!) to hold open the door to the Latin classroom.

It was their first hour of their first day back. They'd joined Gansey and Blue and Malory at Monmouth Manufacturing for breakfast, then Gansey had gone to drop Blue off at her school (or, if Blue had her way, several blocks away from her school) while Adam and Ronan went straight to Aglionby. They were a little early, no one else was yet in the familiar, musty classroom, so they went and sat down in the second row.

Ronan immediately tipped his chair back and put his feet up on the desk. "Do you think they're a thing?"

"Who?" Adam asked, looking up from digging his textbook out of his bag.

"Sargent and Gansey."

Adam blinked. He couldn't decide which was stranger, that he hadn't noticed whatever it was that made Ronan think that, or that Ronan had. Then again, Blue did seem to talk to Ronan more openly than the rest of them. Adam wondered, in a slightly wounded way, if it had something to do with her not having to wonder if Ronan liked her or not. 

"Excuse me," Ronan said, giving Adam a look.

"Huh?" Adam said, then rolled his eyes. "I'm not jealous, dipshit, calm down. I was just thinking about it. Don't you think they'd tell us though? ...Ronan sit up you're gonna tip your chair over."

Ronan grinned wider and tipped his chair further and further back until Adam reached out and pushed it back onto all four legs.

"This is why I can't take you anywhere nice, Lynch," he said.

The door opened and their classmates began to pour in, filling the room with the familiar sound of voices and furniture being scraped around and books being tossed onto desktops. Adam rested his elbows on the table and hunched forward in a way that didn't invite anyone to ask him what he'd spent the summer doing, not that they were likely to do that, preoccupied as they were with recounting stories about their trips to Vail or the Hamptons or backpacking across Europe. 

Adam looked to his right. Ronan had taken his feet off the desk but he was slouching, arms folded over his chest, eyes closed, head tipped back. One curl of his dark hair was at odds with all the rest and Adam stared at it for several seconds before remembering that he was, in fact, allowed to touch Ronan Lynch whenever he felt like it. 

He reached out and used two fingers to turn the curl the right way. The corner of Ronan's mouth twitched.

"Well, well,  _well_!" On the final 'well' whoever had approached them slammed both hands on the desk, making Adam jump and Ronan open his eyes with furious haste. There stood Tad Carruthers, looking far more pleased with himself than he had any right to be. "Tell me, my friends, are the rumors the mill has been cranking out lately true?"

Neither boy answered him. Ronan just curled his lip and Adam stared blankly.

This did not deter Tad, who clearly missed the energy behind the looks being aimed at him. "Blake claims he witnessed the two of you lock lips outside Nino's last week."

"Jesus," Ronan sighed, looking up at the ceiling, "Christ."

"Blake should mind his own damn business," Adam said lowly.

Tad touched his fingers to the back of his ear. "I hear no denials. So, what, you two are like, gay now?"

"I've always been gay, fuckwad," Ronan said. He held up his middle finger, then flipped his hand over and made a flicking motion. "Shoo. Go be jealous somewhere else where I don't have to look at your dumb face."

"Ohoohoo!" Tad cackled, like he was now part of some joke. "Good luck with that one, Parrish! Good luck with that one." Thankfully he made the correct choice and sidled back to where his actual friends were sitting.

And then just after he left Gansey appeared, dropping himself into the seat in front of Adam and Ronan and turning around. "...What did I miss?" he asked, taking in the hostile atmosphere.

"People are gawking," Adam said, resting his chin in his hand. 

Gansey pursed his lips. "Oh... sorry they're being gross."

"Whatever man," Ronan said, though Adam could feel that Ronan was jiggling his foot under the table. "So what's going on with you and Sargent?"

"Excuse me?" Gansey said, brow furrowing, fingers pressing briefly against his temple. "What do you mean?"

Ronan's mouth curled in an amused smirk. "You know what I mean. C'mon, if there's something going on with you two you have to tell us. We told you that we're dating."

"I'm not dating Blue," Gansey said, but Adam noticed he said it very stiffly, and was suddenly very interested in picking lint off his Aglionby uniform.

"Real convincing argument you're putting up there, Dick," Ronan said, leaning forward.

Gansey looked up. "Ronan."

"Methinks he doth prote—"

" _Ronan_."

Ronan stopped and looked behind him. Adam looked as well. The man standing over them had come up on the side of Adam's bad ear, and had come up very quietly to boot. He was a handsome man in his thirties, dressed too nicely to be anything but a teacher, and the briefcase in his hand only confirmed that. When Ronan looked up, the man smiled coldly at him. 

"Are you quite finished, Mr. Lynch?"

Plenty of teachers would memorize their student's names before entering the classroom. Everyone had their school ID photos on file with the office. And yet something about the way this man said Ronan's name made Adam's blood go a little cooler than it had been before.

Ronan was clearly unnerved as well. He blinked at the man. "Who are you?"

"My name," the man said, addressing the class as he continued on to the front of the room. "Is Colin Greenmantle. And I'm your new Latin teacher."

***

Niall was just coming down the stairs with an empty laundry basket when the front door banged open and in came Matthew, Adam, Ronan, Gansey, Blue Sargent, an older man Niall didn't know and an equally old dog who looked like he had been convinced to tag along against his better judgement. For a moment the front hall was gloriously full of people and noise and movement, and Niall surveyed the scene before setting the laundry basket down.

"Mr. Lynch!" Gansey said, smiling. "Sorry about the unexpected intrusion, there's someone I wanted you to meet—this is my friend, Professor Roger Malory, he's visiting from England. Professor Malory, this is Ronan's father, Niall Lynch."

"Pleasure to meet you, Professor," Niall said, shaking Malory's hand.

"Oh, you're  _Irish_!" Malory exclaimed, disproportionately pleased about that fact for an Englishman who sounded like he was on just the other side of 'posh' from where Niall had grown up. "I don't suppose I could trouble you for a  _proper_  cup of tea, could I?"

"You certainly may," Niall said, looking over at Gansey in amusement. "What, this one can't manage that in his kitchen-bath-laundry room?"

Malory sighed. "He's made valiant attempts, I have to give him credit for that."

"Well, this is exactly why I brought you here," Gansey said a bit flatly. "So Mr. Lynch could make tea for you."

Niall laughed, motioning for the others to follow him down the hall into the kitchen. While he set about putting the kettle on to boil, Malory sat at the table with the dog under his chair, Gansey on one side of him and Blue on the other. Ronan and Adam lurked behind Gansey looking, as usual, attached at the hip. Niall might have pointed that out if he felt like giving his son a hard time, but instead he asked, "How was everyone's first day back?"

"I'm dropping out," Ronan said.

"Like hell you are," Niall said, cheerfully. "Anyone else?"

"Ronan's being melodramatic," Adam said. "It was fine. We have a new Latin teacher, obviously. He's…a little weird."

Gansey let out a strained laugh. "Well, he hasn't tried to sacrifice me to wake a ley line yet, so he's alright in my book."

"Oh yeah, there's one for  _Rate My Professor_ ," Ronan said, laughing. "  _‘Professor_ _Greenmantle is great. Didn't try to sacrifice me once.'_ "

The mug Niall had been taking from the cupboard slipped out of his hand and shattered on the floor. Beneath Malory's chair, the poor dog started violently. Feeling the color drain from his face, Niall turned to face the teens. "Ronan, what did you just say?"

"What?!" Ronan said, bristling defensively. "It's a joke, jee—"

"Your teacher's name, Ronan," Niall snapped.

Now Ronan looked alarmed, glancing first to Adam, then back at Niall. "Greenmantle," he said. "Umm, Colin Greenmantle."

"Shit," Niall wheezed, now feeling like someone hand punched him in the chest. " _Shit._  Someone keep an eye on that kettle, I'll…" But he didn't finish his sentence. He just grabbed his cellphone from the counter and went out into the back yard, dialing Seondeok as he went.

She answered almost immediately. "Niall."

"Did you know he was here?"

"What are you talking about."

"Greenmantle." Niall turned in a slow half-circle, now looking out at the fields that shone golden in the late afternoon light. "He's at their school, Seon, he's teaching there."

"Ah," Seondeok sighed. Judging from the noises in the background on her end, she must have been at an airport. "Yes, that does sound like something he would do. Do not do anything foolish, Niall."

Niall gritted his teeth. He let out a frustrated grunt. "Latin, he's teachin'  _Latin_ , Ronan's in his damn class that bastard was two feet away from my son—"

"I will hang up and call Aurora if you do not calm down," Seondeok said. "Use your brain. If he was going to hurt or kill your other two sons, why would he bother to go to Henrietta? Why would he not simply hire someone? He does not like to get his hands dirty."

He hated it when she was right. Usually. Now her words did admittedly bring a modicum of relief to his concern. "So why the hell is he here then?"

"To fuck with you," Seondeok said. "Obviously. He is hoping that if he makes you nervous enough you will give him the Greywaren just to be rid of him."

"Fuck that, and fuck him."

"Yes," she agreed. "I will be there soon, try to restrain yourself until I have arrived and we can come up with a real plan. Now I must go, they are going to be boarding my flight soon."

"Sure," Niall said.

There was a long pause, and then Seondeok said quietly, "I am sorry that you and Aurora must go through this. I cannot imagine."

"Text me when you get here," Niall said. He couldn't have that conversation just now, he absolutely couldn't. "Thank you, Seon."

"Goodbye," she said, before hanging up.

Niall put his phone back in his pocket and sighed. He laced his fingers behind his head, closing his eyes, tipping his head back into the cool breeze and so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't even realize he wasn't alone until Ronan spoke.

"Dad? What the hell is going on?"

Lowering his hands, Niall turned to face him. Oh how he wanted to lie. "Colin Greenmantle is the man who had your brother killed."

"What the  _fuck_ ," Ronan said, his blue eyes flashing.

"Don't," Niall stepped closer and put one finger against the middle of Ronan's chest, "do anythin', do you hear me? I'll deal with this."

"Deal with it?" Ronan said. "What's dealing is there to do, call the goddamn police, Dad!"

"And what good would that do, aye?" Niall said. "He doesn't do these things with his own two hands, he hires people. He was probably miles and miles away when it happened, with a rock solid alibi. The police can't do shite."

Ronan let out an angry half-growl, turning and kicking a nearby watering can, sending it tumbling across the yard. Niall let him rage for a moment then reached for his arm, and when he did, Ronan didn't pull away. Hanging his head, Ronan turned so they were facing each other. Niall reached over and ruffled his son's curly hair.

Ronan lifted his head. "I'm going to ask for him back."

"What?" Niall said.

"When we find Glendower," Ronan said. "When we find him, and he gives us a favor… I'm going to ask him to bring Declan back. That's all I want."

Niall stared at Ronan, his heart aching so deeply he could feel it in his chest when he inhaled. "Oh, Ronan," he whispered. "Oh, Ronan."

***

There were a lot more cows in Henrietta than there were in Boston. At least there were a lot more cows outside Colin Greenmantle's kitchen window here than in Boston. A lot more cows and a lot less traffic sounds. He wasn't sure which was worse.

Behind him, his wife Piper stood at the counter slicing mangos. Piper was not thrilled about this move, both because of the location and the reason. She had made this displeasure loudly known in ways that ended up costing Colin even more money than he'd already spent.

"You know what you are," Piper said, breaking the otherwise peaceful silence. "You're a domestic cat, but like, in the worst way."

Colin turned from the windows and the cows and the sprawling green fields that were about as far from Commonwealth Avenue as he was likely to get. "How's that?" he asked, indulgently.

"You know how when there's a mouse inside most domestic cats know that they're supposed to hunt it down, but then they just end up playing with it and torturing it because they never deal the killing blow?" Piper said. "That's you. That's you and Niall Lynch. You're just going to keep messing with him because I don't think you actually know what you're going to do now that you have him cornered."

"That's not true," Colin said, darting in to steal a piece of mango. "That's not true at all."

"Well it's either that or you made me move down here to the middle of nowhere so you could hate-fuck your arch nemesis," Piper said, making a threatening jab at him with the knife. "Is that it?"

Colin curled his lip. "Why would you even suggest something like that? You know exactly why I'm interested in him, and it has nothing to do with sex."

Piper went back to her slicing. "Well if you don't do something soon, I will."

Again Colin's hand shot out, but this time it was to grab Piper's wrist, holding it tightly. "You did that with Declan Lynch," he hissed. "And look where that got us. We've had to bide our time for two years because of that."

"Killing that brat had been the plan all alone, don't act like I was going rogue," Piper snarled, trying to tug her hand away, but she was still holding onto the knife. "And besides, your little pet Mr. Gray said he wouldn't do it."

" _After_  you had already shot him!" Colin said. "That point is moot, Piper, you did go off the plan!"

Piper gave him the sort of look that could sear a rhinoceros hide. "But now the Lynches know we aren't fucking around because  _one_ of us actually had the balls to do something."

Colin did not let go of her wrist. He continued to stare at her, breathing heavily through his nose. Then, lowly, under his breath he said, "God you're so fucking hot when you're pissed off."

"Jesus Christ," Piper huffed, finally yanking her wrist free and tossing the knife into the sink. She turned to wash her hands. "You're hopeless, Colin, you know that? Now go occupy yourself I have yoga in half an hour."

***

Gansey, Blue and Malory ended up staying at the Barns for dinner, so it was getting late when they finally left. As the house began to settle down for the evening, Adam finally headed upstairs and slipped into his room. Waiting for him on the bed was a stack of clean clothes, and sitting on top of that, an official looking envelope with the seal of the Rockingham County Court on it. 

Adam stood over his bed, staring at the envelope before he turned it over and opened it. Inside was a single, impersonal sheet of paper informing him of his rescheduled court date for the hearing against his father. 

He turned the envelope over again.

_Adam Parrish_

_6427 Creek Hollow Road_

_Singers Falls, VA_

_22850_

That was not the address he had spent his life seeing after his name on mail. He brushed his thumb over it. He did not want to go to court and face his father. He did want to go to court and face his father. Whatever the outcome was, he wanted someone to look him in the eye and tell him that what Robert Parrish did was wrong. He needed to look his father in the eye and let him now that he, Adam, wouldn't just lie down anymore.

"Hey, what're you doing?"

Adam turned. There in the doorway stood Ronan, hands in the pockets of his jeans. Swallowing, Adam waved the letter. "Court date got set."

"Shit," Ronan said, in a 'no kidding' kind of way. He stepped into the room, casually kicking the door closed behind him and walking over to stand next to Adam. "You okay? You look kind of spaced."

"It's just...weird," Adam said, because it was, even though 'weird' really was only one small aspect of it. He turned and set the letter on top of the dresser, then moved the pile of clean laundry to the chair in the corner so he could sit on the bed. He scooted to lean back against the pillows and headboard, closing his eyes. 

A second later Ronan sat down beside him, and a second after that, laid a hand on Adam's stomach. Even through his t-shirt, Adam thought that Ronan's hand felt very, very warm. 

"It's gonna be okay," Ronan said. "Whatever happens. They're not gonna force you to go back and live with him or anything, you can stay here." 

Adam nodded, opening his eyes and looking at Ronan. "I know."

"Or maybe they'll throw his shit-ass in jail and you won't have to look at his ugly face ever again."

Adam wanted to laugh, but when he made a sound it came out too forced.

Ronan watched him. "Sorry."

"No, it's not—I don't mind," Adam said. "There's just so much shit going on. School, and Glendower, and the ley line, and Blue's mom, and now I have to worry about my dad again on top of it. I just want to skip ahead until after the hearing."

"Yeah," Ronan said. "I get it. I do. It'll happen, Adam. And then you won't have to do it again."

"Yeah," Adam echoed with a sigh.

Ronan moved his hand in a light circle against Adam's stomach. It still felt very warm. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked.

"You could kiss me," Adam said, and he found the ability to smile again.

Ronan smiled too, a lopsided little grin, before he scooted closer and kissed Adam, his arm wrapping around Adam's shoulders, other hand still resting on his stomach as Adam cupped Ronan's face, closing his eyes and leaning into the kiss.

And oh, how good it was to just dissolve into the kiss, to let everything else melt away. Roman’s jaw felt rough beneath Adam’s fingers as he held his face, then slid his hands around to cup the back of Ronan’s neck, not wanting him to pull away yet, or ever. A rush of heat surged through him, not because of Ronan’s hand on his stomach or even Ronan’s lips against his but from the mere thought that someone  _desired_ him this much, desired  _him_ , that Adam Parrish born of dust was enough to make savagely handsome Ronan Lynch wild with want.

“God, Ronan,” he sighed. 

“Fuck,” Ronan whispered, breath hot on Adam’s lips as Adam pulled him close again. 

Ronan’s hand quested a little lower, and when his fingers reached the button of Adam’s jeans, Adam broke the kiss, pressing his forehead to Ronan’s, eyes still closed, lips parted as he let out a few shuddering breaths. He tried, for a moment, to ground himself, but that was nearly impossible. He might as well have been in the grips of Cabeswater again even though he knew he was not. 

“Is this okay?” Ronan whispered. 

Even though Adam knew his answer was yes, of course, he felt such relief and gratitude that Ronan would take the time to ask. He wet his lips and nodded, and when he finally managed to say “Yes” it sounded embarrassingly close to a groan. 

Ronan shifted a little, keeping his one arm around Adam’s shoulders as he unzipped his jeans and slipped his hand inside. The minute Adam felt Ronan’s fingers around him he gasped, shuddering, one hand bunching in the front of Ronan’s shirt, the other tangled in his hair. 

They kissed again and now it was without pretense and hungry, all open mouths and teeth and Adam biting at Ronan’s lip just to hear the sound he made, and then moaning himself when Ronan’s hand tightened around him in response. 

Adam fumbled, letting go of Ronan’s shirt to slide his hand under it, palm pressed flat against his back, needing to feel his bare skin. Adam could feel himself starting to come apart already and he clung to Ronan, gasping with every movement of Ronan’s hand against him. He buried his face against Ronan’s shoulder, gasping, then crying out as an overwhelmingly warm and delirious rush overtook him, body jerking involuntarily against Ronan. 

And Ronan kissed him, and eased him through, and continued to hold Adam close even as he felt like every muscle in his body had now lost the ability to function. 

“Jesus,” Adam breathed after a moment. When Ronan withdrew his hand, reality sank back in and Adam noticed how wet and sticky and unpleasant his jeans and briefs now felt. He opened his eyes just in time to see Ronan curiously lick the back of his finger. “Nice, Lynch.”

“What?” Ronan said, leaning over to grab the tissue box from the nightstand so they could clean up. “This is all new to me, lay off.”

Taking a fistful of tissues and standing up to change his pants, Adam looked at him in surprise. “Really? You never…?”

“Dude,” Ronan said. “I live on a farm and my family goes to church every Sunday.”

“That doesn’t mean anything,” Adam said. “The girl who gave me a hand job when I was fourteen sung in a church choir.”

Ronan leaned back on the bed, folding his arms behind his head and grinning. “Adam Parrish, corrupter of the innocent.”

Adam burst into laughter,  nearly falling over as he was still in the middle of pulling on clean underwear. “I really hope you’re not counting yourself in that. Innocent my ass.”

“It’s a nice ass,” Ronan said, tilting his head appreciatively. 

Adam made a face at him, then crawled back onto the bed and over to kiss Ronan. Quietly he said, “That was really good though.”

“Good,” Ronan said, and then before Adam could ask what he was thinking of asking next, Ronan pulled him down and curled around him. “I’m just gonna sleep in here.”

Adam smiled, closing his eyes. He fell asleep quicker and easier than he could remember doing in months. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Sorry about that brief unexpected hiatus! Life and Grown Up Business just got in the way, thankfully it's good things, but still, bleh)


	11. Chapter 11

When Adam, Gansey and Ronan arrived at 300 Fox Way after school they found a surprising arrangement in the living room. All of the furniture had been pushed back against the walls, and in the middle of the floor Calla was wrestling with the Gray Man. Not only that, but sitting on the displaced couch watching them were Blue and Ronan's father. Blue was eating a yogurt, and Niall had a tumbler of something dark and likely strongly alcoholic. The three boys entered, dropping backpacks in a pile by the doorway.

"What is going on in here," Gansey said, edging cautiously around Calla and Mr. Gray to perch on the arm of the couch next to Blue.

"Ass kicking lessons," Blue said. She poked at the contents of her yogurt cup with a disheartened expression, then handed the remains to Gansey.

"You two are going to give me diabetes," Ronan said.

Blue scowled at him. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"Ronan," Niall said, though his focus was still mostly on the Gray Man, who was correcting Calla's posture. "Considering that you're hangin' onto  _your_ boyfriend twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week I don't think you've much ground to stand on in this argument."

Blue looked deeply pleased. Ronan looked deeply annoyed, but he couldn't argue because of course, his father was not wrong.

"I'm not Blue's boyfriend," Gansey said.

There was half a second where everyone in the room looked at him, and he turned pink and became fascinated with the yogurt-blueberries, and Blue's nostrils flared a little. 

Then Calla turned and used the element of surprise to neatly pin the Gray Man's arm behind his back and then neatly pin the Gray Man to the floor. "How's that," she said.

"Good," the Gray Man wheezed. "Very good."

Calla let go of him and side stepped to retrieve her own drink from where it sat on top of the TV.

"Seriously though," Ronan said, stepping into the middle of the room and turning most of his attention to his father. "What's going on here? Why are  _you_  here?"

Niall took a drink, then bared his teeth a little and inhaled before saying, "Mr. Gray and I had business to discuss."

Ronan looked over his shoulder at Mr. Gray, then back at his father. "Please tell me that business is hiring him to kill Greenmantle."

"No," said Mr. Gray. "We're not there yet."

"Don't worry about it," Niall said to Ronan. "I'll be back in time for dinner, that's all you need to know."

Ronan frowned at him, making it quite clear that he disagreed, but couldn't figure out how to argue his point just yet.

***

"I finally listened to you," Colin Greenmantle called out as he stepped through the front door of their rental house and closed it behind him. He had a grocery bag held in one arm and spoke loudly as he continued on into the house. "Organic, grass fed, import—"

He stepped through the door into the kitchen and was immediately punched in the face. 

He didn't even have a chance to see who did it; one minute he was walking, next minute,  _bam_ , an explosion of pain so sharp and abrupt that it momentarily stunned him, causing him to drop the grocery bag and fall sideways against the counter, almost dropping to the floor. "Jesus shit!" he wheezed, hanging onto the cold Carrera marble countertop. He tasted blood, and there were little black and red spots in front of his eyes. When those cleared, Colin looked up and found himself staring at none other than Niall Lynch, who gazed back down at him with a cool, furious expression.

"Fuck you," Lynch said. 

"What the  _fuck_ , man," Colin hissed, straightening. He grabbed a paper towel off the roll and held it to his now tender and bleeding nose. "What's wrong with you?" His gaze drifted past Lynch. There, by the island, stood Piper, and there using one hand to pin her arms behind her back and the other to hold a gun to her head, was Mr. Gray. Colin made a disgusted noise. "Oh great, you two are friends now."

Lynch was clearly not in the mood for small talk. "You killed my son," he said, low and dangerous.

"Not personally," Colin said, moving the towel to see how bad the bleeding was. He reapplied it, tipping his head back a little. 

"Don't do that," Piper said. "Colin. You're going to swallow the blood and throw up if you do that. Tip your head forward and pinch your nose."

"T'anks Piber," Colin said, giving her a sour look as he did that and was immediately rendered several decades less intelligent sounding. A full and awkward minute passed where Colin stood there pinching his nose and Lynch stood there looking ready to strangle him and Piper looked bored and the Gray Man looked tense. Finally Colin's nose decided to behave. He threw away the paper towel and went to pick up the dropped groceries. "Now, Lynch, as I was saying—"

"I don't give a flying fuck if you pulled the trigger or not," Lynch said. "You still thought the fair response to being told 'no I won't sell you this' was  _to have a teenaged boy murdered_."

Colin glanced across the room at Piper. "Treasure, if I cut up some cheese will you help me eat it?" Then, reaching up to get the cheese cutter down from the cabinet he said to Lynch, "People have done far worse for far less."

"Why the hell are you here?" 

"I'm teaching," Colin said, smiling to himself. "Didn't your kid tell you? Your other kid, obviously. The living one. He's been skipping class though, by the way, I had to write him up."

Lynch watched him cut careful pieces of cheese, then put one on a cracker and bring it over to Piper. "What do you want?"

Colin laughed. "You know what I want, man! I'm not leaving until I have the Greywaren. You should have figured out by now that I want it, and I always get what I want. And before you say it, I'm not going to kill you. No, if you don't play nice, Lynch, I'm just going to destroy everyone and everything you care about, and everyone and everything Mr. Gray cares about, and you two can suffer knowing you could have prevented this all just like you could have prevented your precious Declan from being shot in the head."

Lynch pursed his lips, lifting one hand to run his fingers through his dark hair. In the sunlight Colin could see just a touch of grey starting at his temples. Lowering his hand, Lynch gave him another look. "You're never getting the Greywaren. And if you do not stay the hell away from my family, and the hell away from Henrietta..."

"What, you're threatening me now?" Colin said around the cheese and cracker he had just put in his mouth.

" _Now_?" Lynch said, giving him a bemused look. "D'you not see your wife with a gun to her head?"

Colin glanced at Piper. She still looked bored. "Sometimes Piper's into that sort of thing, how was I supposed to know that was a threat?"

"You're disgusting," Piper said, but she didn't sound like she meant it all that much.

Then Lynch took two quick strides closer, standing almost chest-to-chest with Colin. He leaned in, pinning Colin against the edge of the counter now. "You have no idea what I'm capable of," he said. "You do this, you're going to have more on your hands than you could possibly imagine."

"You know what really baffles me," Colin said, refusing to be thrown by the vaguely homoerotic invasion of his personal space. "Is that you must think the Greywaren is worth sacrificing your family over. I mean, one of your kids is already dead, you know I could get the other two without any difficulty,  _and_  that wife of yours, and yet here you are still being a stubborn asshole when you could just hand it over and be done with me. So whatever you keep telling yourself, you need to at least own up to the fact that you think your children are acceptable losses in th— _ghhhkk_ _-!"_

The slightly strangled end of that sentence was due to Lynch grabbing Colin by the throat, pressing for just long enough that Colin began to feel genuine distress at the lack of oxygen reaching his brain. 

And then Lynch let go, stepping back. "You're going to regret coming here. Both of you." He started for the back door. When he reached it, the Gray Man finally let go of Piper and followed, doing so in a way that allowed him to keep an eye on them both until he and Lynch had left.

The door slammed, Piper sighed loudly. Colin rubbed a hand over his throat. 

"What do you suppose he thinks he has up his sleeve?" he asked, voice a little rough around the edges. 

"Don't know, don't really care," Piper said, walking over to take another cracker. She glanced at the clock and sighed. "Great, I'm going to be late for yoga."

***

Adam was alone in one of the barns, one that was being used to house some of the smaller tractors and flatbed trucks used around the farm. The evening outside was rainy and prematurely dark, and the row of shop-lights that hung from the middle rafters of the barn were not enough to fill the entire space, leaving the corners dark and unfathomable. Adam was working on one of the truck engines, he had promised Mr. Lynch he would have it running again by that weekend and had passed up the opportunity to go exploring again with Gansey and Blue in order to keep his promise. He didn't know if Ronan had gone with them, but he kind of hoped he hadn't. 

It was a strange, liminal time of year, hovering halfway between late summer and early fall, and the evenings were the kind that made Adam feel very small and isolated. Especially now, with the ley line, with Cabeswater, with his impending court date, with college all weighing down on his mind he wasn't sure how he was supposed to think about doing anything else. Outside the barn the wind picked up, rustling the leaves of the trees that stood just on the other side of the windows, tendrils of cool air blowing in through cracks in the walls to circle Adam's ankles, making him shiver. High above him in the invisible darkness of the eaves, something creaked.

He straightened, absently reaching out for the handle of the work light he had hanging on the open hood of the car. The radio that had been playing tinnily on the workbench under one of the high windows grew a little quieter, and Adam was reminded of the evening that Blue came to visit him at Boyd's and the ley line had surged. 

There was a pop behind him. Adam turned. The florescent light at the very far end of the space had gone out. Now the end of the barn sat in complete darkness. Adam felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise, and the cool breeze around his ankles grew stronger. The noises of the barn suddenly became hyper-focused: he could hear each scratch of each twig that brushed the window, each creak of the roof high above him, the minute rustling of wings from the birds that roosted up there... and beyond that something that breathed and beat with life, something waiting just beyond his vision in the shadows. 

"It's Cabeswater," Adam said aloud to himself, though his voice was small and instantly swallowed up by the vastness of the space around him. "It's just Cabeswater."

With school starting and everything else, Adam had been neglecting to check in with Cabeswater on a daily basis to ask what it needed from him. He had let his morning scrying sessions and tarot readings slip away, less important than work, or school, or exploring, and now the magical forest wanted itself to be heard. 

A rustling to his left made Adam look over, sharply, and in the gloomy corner of the workspace he thought he could see snakes, or vines shifting over the pile of boxes on the floor.

Another light went out.

"Shit," Adam said, a little louder this time. He turned and lunged for his messenger bag which, thankfully, he had brought with him instead of taking up to his room. "Hang on, just hang on!" 

From the bag he pulled Persephone's tarot cards. 

Another light went out.

"I won't be able to read them if you knock out all the lights!" Adam said, but it was hard to keep the fear from his voice as he took the cards out and tried to shuffle them without dropping any. 

The entire barn seemed to groan, like a ship in a storm.

Quickly, Adam laid out three cards: Death. The Empress. The Devil.

"Just give me a minute," he whispered, puzzling over the cards. The air around him was growing heavy, damp and oppressive. Adam forced himself to breathe, to focus on the cards, on what they meant. A second later he jumped to his feet. "Okay! I'll do it this week! I promise, I'll fix it this week!"

The noises grew a little less, but they didn't go away entirely.

Another light went out, leaving only the three closest to Adam still burning.

"I said I'd do it," Adam whispered, looking around himself. "What else do you want?!"

_It won't actually hurt you. It won't hurt you. It might scare you, but it won't hurt._

A breeze surged across the floor, shifting the cards that Adam had laid out just a little. 

Biting his lip, Adam lay one hand on top of the deck he still held, then he drew another card, flipping it over. 

The king of wands. 

He frowned. "Who is this?"

_"_ _Greywaren_ ," whispered a dry, creaking voice from the shadows. 

Adam frowned even deeper. "This isn't Ronan? Is it?"

A sudden gust of wind hit his face like a soft slap. Adam spluttered.

"Oh!" he said. "Oh! Okay! I understand. Got it. I'll do it, I promise!"

Behind him the barn door opened with a bang. Adam nearly jumped out of his skin, turning so fast that he fell a little against the concrete floor.

"What are the hell are you doing?" Ronan asked.

"Jesus, Ronan, I was just—" But when Adam turned, the other lights in the barn were on again. Nothing lurked or moved in the shadows, there were no voices, no sounds of breathing. Adam shook his head, gathering up the cards and standing up.

Ronan walked over to him. "Heeeelllooo, babe, what're you doing?"

Adam wrinkled his nose a little at the nickname, but there were more important things to discuss right now. He looked down and took the top card off the deck of tarot cards, holding it up so Ronan could see the king of wands: a man sitting on a throne, the top of which extended beyond the border of the card, the back decorated with a lion and a salamander biting its own tail. The king held a blossoming branch in his hand, and the throne he sat on appeared to be in the middle of a desert.

"I don't know what that means," Ronan said. 

Adam gazed at him. "It means Cabeswater wants to meet your father."

***

Ronan did not want to show his father Cabewswater. Mostly this reluctance came from the simple fact that he had no idea how his father would react.. It felt to him like the crossing over of two worlds that shouldn't meet. Still, Adam seemed fairly insistent that it had to happen, which only worried Ronan more.

This was what he found himself mulling heavily over the following afternoon as he and Adam sat on the front porch of the house together, enjoying what would probably be the last warm weather of the year.

They had been sitting for about ten minutes when without much warning, a sleek silver Fisker came around the bend in the driveway and pulled up to a stop near the garage. For a second Ronan stared at it; this sight was so unexpected his brain almost had trouble processing what he was seeing.

Then Adam said, "Isn't that Henry Cheng?"

It was Henry Cheng, but their classmate with his impressively coiffed hair and expensive shoes got out of the passenger side, not the driver's. He lifted his hand in greeting to them while Ronan and Adam continued to stare. Then the driver's side door opened and a woman got out who had to be Cheng's mother; they bore the same level of resemblance to each other that Ronan bore to Niall, though Henry was slightly less refined. The woman was tall, pristinely dressed in a well-tailored dark suit, and had very long, very straight, very black hair.  

"Lynch! Parrish!" Henry called as he and the woman started up the front walk.

Ronan got to his feet. "Cheng, what the hell are you doing here?"

"My mother needs to have a word with your father," Henry said, cheerily, as though there was nothing strange about that statement.

Ronan found a great many things strange about that statement. How did Mrs. Cheng even know his father? Why did they need to have a conference? Why, when he locked eyes with Henry's mother, did all the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end? He didn't ask any of these, however, he just stood there with his mouth open.

The door behind him opened.

"Seon!" Niall Lynch exclaimed as he walked down the stairs, past Ronan and Adam, and over to Henry's mother. And then, even more inexplicably, the two of them exchanged not only a light embrace but also a kiss on the cheek.

Ronan blinked. "What the actual fu—"

"Ronan," Niall said sharply, turning. He gave his son a tight smile, and when Ronan closed his mouth, continued. "Boys, this is Seondeok. Seon, this is my Ronan, and his boyfriend Adam Parrish."

Seondeok regarded them thoughtfully. "It is a pleasure to meet you both."

"You too, Ma'am," Adam said, his tone automatic and tinted with wariness. 

Ronan didn't say anything, but when Seondeok held out her hand to him, he reached for it without thinking.

Before he could react, she grabbed his wrist, tightly, and inhaled a sharp, deep breath. Her eyes rolled back, glazing over with a milky white sheen, and remained that way for about three seconds before she let go.

Niall looked mildly annoyed. He hit her shoulder with the back of his hand. "Excuse me!" he said.

Unruffled, Seondeok turned to him. "That is why you are so worried," she said. "He is one too."

"Aye, he's one too," Niall said, still looking more annoyed than worried. 

"And Declan?" Seondeok asked.

Anger boiled inside Ronan at the sound of his brother's name on her lips. Bristling, he glared at her. "Alright, who and what the actual fuck are you?!"

Seondeok looked at him, then she laughed, turning back to Niall. "Ah he is so much like you."

"I know," Niall said flatly. "Ronan, will ya stop being such a little shite and watch your mouth? Seon is on our side here."

"And to answer your question, Ronan Lynch," Seondeok said. "I am an old friend of your fathers and I am a seer. Oh! Aurora!"

Ronan turned to see that his mother had come out of the house now as well, positively beaming as she came down the steps to join them. She and Seondeok exchanged a slightly less formal hug and cheek kiss than Niall and Seondeok had. Looking past them, Ronan locked eyes with Henry, who seemed unsurprised by any of this behavior.

"Cheng," he hissed. "Did you know about this?"

"That my mother is friends with your parents?" Henry said. "Yes."

Ronan balked a little. "But—why didn't you..."

"Say anything to you at school?" Henry said, raising both eyebrows and one corner of his mouth in an expression that implied he thought Ronan should know the answer to that question without asking. "We don't run in the same circles, Lynch, and besides, you are an asshole."

Seondeok turned sharply. "Henry." 

"It's alright, ma'am," Adam said, fighting back laughter. "He's right."

Ronan opened his mouth, then realized he didn't have a counter argument because Henry  _wasn't_  wrong about either of those accounts, so he shrugged and closed his mouth again, nodding. Then he looked back at Henry, who had his hands in the pockets of his hoodie and was looking very pleased with himself. They locked eyes for a moment, and Ronan began to wonder if he hadn't misjudged the other boy after all.

*** 

Henry and his mother stayed until dinner time. Aurora invited them to stay for dinner too but they wanted to get back to town before it was too late. For most of the time, Niall and Seondeok disappeared into his study, leaving Henry to be entertained by Ronan and Adam, which was a little awkward but not as terrible as Adam had been imagining. Away from Aglionby, Henry Cheng was not at all what Adam had thought he was. They took him around to show him the farm, he was fascinated by the smaller animals and, to Ronan's deep and possibly unfair amusement, very wary of the cows despite the fact that all they did was stare at him.

Then, later that evening after dinner, Adam was in his room working on homework when Ronan slipped through the door to join him.

"Hey," Adam said. Seeing that Ronan didn't have any books or notebooks with him, Adam closed his own and set them aside. "What's up?"

"I think my dad's going to do something stupid," Ronan said. He looked aimlessly around the room, wandering over the dresser, then turning to flop onto the bed next to Adam.

Adam raised his eyebrows. This was not an entirely far-fetched worry, Niall Lynch certainly seemed like the type who would do something stupid. It was a trait that Ronan had definitely inherited, but now didn't seem like the time to bring that up. "Did he say something?"

"He and Cheng's mom were definitely talking about Greenmantle."

"Oh," Adam said, now watching Ronan a little more attentively. The other boy was stretched out on his side now, picking at a spot on the blanket. Adam had to resist the urge to reach out and run his hand over the curve of Ronan's side and hip, not because Ronan would be mad but because Adam wanted to focus on the conversation. "You think your dad's going to try to, I don't know, get revenge or something?"

Ronan rolled over onto his stomach, folding his arms and resting his chin on them. "Maybe."

"So what d'you want to do?"

"Everyone keeps saying Greenmantle's connected to a bunch of shit, right?" Ronan said. "Maybe if we can figure out how and what he's connected to we could find a way to get rid of him without causing a shiststorm."

Something turned over unpleasantly in Adam's stomach. "Get  _rid_ of him?" he parroted. 

"Jesus," Ronan said, rolling his eyes. "I meant like get him to leave town. I realize we know a bona-fide hitman but I'm not quite ready to order a hit on someone yet. Though it's tempting."

"D'you think your dad might?" Adam said.

Ronan sighed and lowered his head again. "I don't know." 

It sounded a lot like he wanted to say 'I hope not.'

Now Adam did touch him, reaching over to rub his hand in slow circles on Ronan's back. He absently massaged the spot between Ronan's shoulders, then ran his fingers through his hair. "So we'll research Greenmantle ourselves," he said quietly. "Right? See what we can come up with?"

Ronan nodded, sitting up. He let out a sigh, scrubbing both hands over his face and running his fingers through his hair. "I think we should also... take my dad to Cabeswater. I don't want to, but I think we should."

Adam smiled a little, took Ronan's hand in his, and nodded.

***

Two days later, on a bright, crisp Saturday morning, they took Ronan's father to Cabeswater.

"I hope whatever this is isn't too far," Niall said as they drove away from the Barns in Ronan's BMW.    
Niall was in the front passenger seat, Ronan behind the wheel, and Adam in the back.

Ronan shook his head. "Not too far."

"And when are you going to tell me what it is?" This time Niall glanced back at Adam to include him in the statement.

"It's got something to do with all of this," Ronan said. There wasn't much traffic today, but he was hyper focused on the road, probably to keep himself from appearing too nervous about what they were bringing his father to see.

Niall arched an eyebrow. "All of this?"

"Glendower," Adam said, leaning forward a little between the front seats. "The ley line. Greenmantle. Your and Ronan's ability maybe. All of this."

Niall didn't say anything to that. 

Adam looked down, clenching and unclenching his hands as he wondered if the strange tingling running along all his limbs was just nerves, or something else.

They arrived a few minutes later. Ronan pulled the car over to the side of the road and got out. There, before them, rose the veritable wall of trees the marked Cabeswater's boundaries. Niall got out of the car as well and circled around, gazing up at the forest before them. A faint crease appeared between his eyebrows, and it remained as he looked down from the trees to the two boys.

"C'mon, we have to go in," Ronan said, motioning for his father to follow as he started towards a gap in the trees. Adam followed, glancing back to see that Niall was close on their heels. 

As they stepped through into what would normally be a cooler realm of shadows under the leaves, the temperature rose to that of a pleasant early summer morning. Adam felt all at once comforted, and anxious. Birds sang above their heads and the trees rose, mighty and beautiful, and for the first couple minutes nothing strange happened at all other than the distinct, gut feeling that this was not the world they had left the car parked in. 

A dazzling blue and silver bird, bigger even than Chainsaw, swooped in front of them then up to the trees, singing a bright, clear song.

Adam glanced back again and saw that Niall had stopped dead. "Ronan," Adam said, reaching out to catch his arm.

Ronan stopped as well, turned, and the two of them walked over to where Niall was now standing in the middle of the path, staring up at the canopy above them. Something moved through the undergrowth nearby but he didn't look at it.

"Dad?" Ronan said.

Niall looked at them. There was something wholly unreadable in his expression, a little bit of excitement, a little bit of awe, a little bit of...what?

"I...know this..." Niall began, softly, but before he could finish a wind suddenly sent a whirl of leaves around them. And through the wind, a hundred hushed voices whispered together:

_Salve,_ _Greywaren_ _!_

Niall cast his eyes upwards again. 

Slowly, he began to smile. 

"Hello yourself, Cabeswater," he said. "It's been a while, aye?"


	12. Chapter 12

Niall had first met Cabeswater when he was seven years old, on a cold, dry winter day that seemed to have leeched all the color from the world. The grainy crust of snow that lay over the streets had turned black and gritty, and all of Belfast felt filthy and oppressive. The air bit through every hole in his coat as he and his four-year-old cousin Oonagh left school late in the afternoon, much later than they were supposed to be leaving, because Niall had gotten held back by one of the teachers.

There were two ways back to his aunt and uncle's house from the school, one was shorter but forbidden (something to do with the church that the families on that street went to, but Niall was too young to understand that sort of thing) and one that was longer but safe. When they got to the corner Niall held tight to Oonagh's hand, trying to decide which would be worse, his uncle's fury for them being home even later, or his uncle's fury if he found out they went down the wrong street.

Niall still had a bruise from the last time he was late, he didn't really want another one.

Oonagh let out a whine of protest as Niall pulled her towards the forbidden street, but it was well after the afternoon rush so there didn't seem to be anyone out on the sidewalk as the two children started up it.

For a while they were fine, and alone, and Niall thought that just maybe this wouldn't be bad and they would still be on time getting home and his uncle wouldn't be angry with them.

And then something hard and slightly sharp hit him in the temple.

Dazed, Niall fell against the brick wall next to him, lifting a hand to his head and feeling wetness on his fingertips. Thought the pain and the ringing in his ears he could hear Oonagh letting out frightened little sobs, and also something else; laughter. Blinking furiously, Niall looked across the street to where a group of boys in their early teens stood.

"You're Fionn Lynch's boy ain't ya!" One of them said. He spat 'Lynch' like a curse word. "The fuck you doin' over here?"

One of his friends nudged him with his arm. "C'mon, Luke, they're just kids _."_

"Kids need to learn, don't they?" Luke said. He had a leather jacket and a mean look on his face. Without looking he started across the street towards Niall and Oonagh.

Fear rose hot and fast in Niall's chest and he grabbed Oonagh, hugging her to his side. She was crying now, clutching with tiny, pudgy fingers at the fold of his ratty coat. Niall tried to look brave as the older boy stepped up in front of them, but he wasn't sure it worked.

"Oy, I asked you a question," Luke said, looking down at Niall. "What the fuck are you doing over here?"

"G-g-going home," Niall said. He glanced past Luke. Two British soldiers had just come around the corner, following their familiar patrol path. One of them looked over at the children, laughed, nudged his partner, and the two continued walking. Niall looking up at Luke. "We're just going home."

Luke grabbed Niall by the front of his coat, pushing him against the wall. "Not this way you ain't."

"C'mon," one of his friends said. "We're starving, let the little shite go and let's get some food, aye?"

But Luke clearly did not want to let Niall go. Keeping him pinned with one hand, he reached into his pocket and took out what Niall recognized as a small folding knife. Panic set in. With a wordless yell Niall brought one knee up as hard as he could into Luke's groin. The older boy howled in surprise, letting go of Niall and doubling over.

"Oonagh run!" Niall shouted, grabbing her arm and starting to run before anyone would have a chance to react. Behind him he heard Luke and his friends shouting, and then following, but all Niall could think about was getting away, running faster than he thought he could possibly run, half dragging Oonagh behind him.

The street crossed a main thoroughfare and then went downwards to a dead end. For a moment Niall thought they were trapped, but then he saw a gap between two houses and at the end of that narrow alley, a wall of thick foliage.

If he had been thinking straight, he would have known that trees did not grow like that in winter, but he was not, all he was thinking of was safety, and a place to hide from Luke and the others. With the shouts behind them growing louder Niall pulled Oonagh into the gap between the buildings and on into the safety of the woods at the other end.

It was cool and quiet in there, and for a moment all the sounds of the city faded away. Niall slowed but did not stop until they were twenty or so yards into the forest but could still see the spot they had come in through. Oonagh was gasping and letting out shaky breaths at that point and she fell against him, wrapping her arms around him. Niall hugged her too, watching the place they had entered through in worried anticipation.

Silence reigned for one second, and two, and three... and then Luke burst through the branches with a snarl.

"You little shit, I'm going to fucking kill you!" he roared, voice even louder in the stillness of the forest.

_Help me,_ Niall thought, desperately, hugging Oonagh to him. _God I'm sorry I was bad I'm so sorry please don't let him hurt us. Please._

Luke stopped, staring at something just behind them. Confusion crossed his face first, and then fear.

Niall heard a twig snap. He didn't look back. He continued to watch Luke. Whatever was behind him couldn't possibly be worse. Oonagh was hiding her face against Niall's coat.

"What..." Luke said, taking a step back.

Finally, Niall glanced behind him.

Not ten feet away stood a stag, but one unlike any stag Niall had ever seen in real life or in pictures—this one was huge, and its head and legs were not the same brown as its body but rather inky black, so black that its features were almost entirely lost in darkness except for four glowing white eyes, two on either side of the creature's head. But the strangest thing about it were the flames licking and curling about the many points of its antlers, forming a great glowing halo around its head.

It reminded Niall of the picture in his children's Bible of the burning bush that Moses saw.

"Fuck this," Luke gasped, and when Niall looked back at him the other boy was gone.

Niall turned back to the stag. It did not move.

"Niall?" Oonagh whispered, also looking at the strange, impossible creature.

Then the stag bowed its head. " _Dia duit, Greywaren,_ " it said, speaking Irish in a voice that sounded like stones. " _Fáilte._ "

Hello, Greywaren.

Welcome.

***

 Ronan couldn't move. He stood there, hands at his sides, gaping at his father. His father who had just greeted Cabeswater like an old friend, who had just _been_ greeted by Cabeswater like an old friend. As both he and Adam continued to watch, Niall turned and held his hand out to the nearest tree. The vine that had been curled around the trunk lifted away, moving towards Niall's outstretched fingers the way plants turned towards the sun. The minute it touched his skin, blue flowers burst into bloom along the whole length of the vine, remaining even after Niall lowered his hand and the vine returned to the tree.

Niall looked back to Ronan, and began to laugh. Ronan hadn't heard him laugh like that since before Declan had died.

"Um," Ronan said.

"You amazing creature," Niall said, stepping forward. He put his hands on either side of Ronan's head and kissed his forehead. "Oh, Ronan. Look what you've done."

Adam looked startled. "Wait, what _he's_ done? Are you telling me that he..."

"Dreamed this?" Niall said. "Yes and no. Cabeswater exists, it's always existed and likely it always will. What Ronan dreamed was a place for Cabeswater to be, just like I did many, many years ago."

Ronan closed his eyes for a second. He could hear the trees whispering around them, could feel the breeze against his skin. Of all the reactions he had been preparing himself for, he certainly hadn't been ready for this one. When he opened his eyes again, he found his father looking at him, pride shining in his eyes.

"I still don't understand," Ronan said.

Niall rubbed his jaw for a second, then, quietly, began, " _We are the music makers, we are the dreamers of dreams, wandering by lone sea-breakers, and sitting by desolate streams; world losers and world forsakers, on whom the pale moon gleams: yet we are the movers and shakers, of the world for ever it seems."_

"...Isn't that from Willy Wonka?" Ronan asked.

"Jaysus Christ, and you call yourself a son of mine?" Niall scoffed. "That's Arthur O'Shaughnessy, you uncultured hooligan. That's not the point. I've known that I was a Greywaren for forty odd years now and I still don't fully understand how our power works, or what the extent of it is. Seondeok said something that had me thinkin' though, about the laws of thermodynamics and the conservation of energy."

Ronan raised his eyebrows further. "What."

"Energy can't be created or destroyed in an isolated system," Adam said. "It remains at a constant. When you create things from your dreams where's that energy coming from?"

"The ley line," Ronan said, still baffled. "It's an energy source. Like a phone battery."

"Aye," Niall said, nodding. "But you charge your phone battery from the wall, yeah? Where's the ley line get its power from?"

Ronan frowned. "You think it... you think it gets its power from another world? Isn't that breaking the laws of physics?"

"You would think," Niall said. "But that's one of my big questions, there've been Greywarens around through all of history, as far as I can tell. And as far as I can tell, each one has opened a door to Cabeswater one way or another."

"Cabeswater's a heat sink," Adam said. "It draws dream energy into it, not only to keep it sustained but also to syphon the energy off into whatever other world it's actually in. The ley line is like a power cord, and if the energy it brought in to our world didn't get syphoned off somehow..."

"The dam would burst," Niall said, nodding. "And I don't know what that would mean but I doubt it would be good."

Ronan nodded, trying his best to puzzle together everything they were saying. "So... we have to keep Cabeswater around at all costs or the world might blow up?"

Niall gave him a strained smile. "Something like that."

***

It was, as usual, hard to say how long they spent in Cabeswater, but it was well into the afternoon when they left and headed back to the Barns. There was plenty of work to be done there, and the three of them did it together, passing the time talking about Cabeswater, and Greywarens, and speculating on how it all fit together. The whole time all three were thinking the same thing, though none spoke it aloud – they could not let Greenmantle get his hands on this place.

They had just come in to wash up and rehydrate when Ronan's phone began to buzz on the counter. Adam automatically reached for it without even waiting for Ronan to ask him to. He glanced at the screen then held it to his ear.

"Gansey, hey, what's up?"

"Is Blue there?" Gansey asked.

Adam frowned. "No, why?"

"Damn it," Gansey breathed. "We don't know where she is. Calla just called. Apparently Blue took the car like six hours ago and she hasn't called or come back, I was hoping she'd driven down there. You sure you haven't seen her today?"

"No, we haven't," Adam said, lifting the phone for a moment to mouth at Ronan – _Blue is missing_. Then to Gansey he said, "You want us to come into town and help look?"

"Yes, if you could, that would be much appreciated."

Adam chewed his lip. "I'm sure she's fine. We'll find her."

"Yes," Gansey said, stiffly. "Yes. Well, I'll see you soon."

"Bye." Adam set the phone down. "Blue took the car six hours ago and they don't know where she is. I told Gansey we'd come into town to help look for her."

Ronan was already on his feet. "Shit, man, yeah let's go..."

Leaving Niall at the Barns incase Blue did show up there, Adam and Ronan hopped into the BMW and sped into town. Apparently women from Fox Way (plus Gansey) were already divided up and searching out in all four cardinal directions, so Adam and Ronan decided to search Henrietta proper though Adam felt somehow that Blue probably wouldn't have run away to Nino's or the drug store or the library if she was going to run off.

Assuming that was what she had done, of course.

As they reconvened at the BMW which Ronan had left parked in the middle of town, Adam gave him a look and then said, "Should we check Cabeswater?"

"I really hope Sargent wasn't dumb enough to go there by herself," Ronan said. "Besides it was less than six hours before Gansey called that we were there, we'd have seen her, wouldn't we?"

Adam shrugged. "Maybe, I dunno. Couldn't hurt to check."

As they were getting back into the car, however, Ronan's phone began to ring as Gansey called again. This time Ronan answered, holding it to his ear without saying anything, though Adam could hear the faint tones of Gansey's voice. Ronan nodded, then grunted, "Yeah, see you" and hung up.

"What'd he say?" Adam asked.

"They found her," Ronan said. "You know that cave on some random guy's farm they found a few days ago? Apparently, she's been hanging out with that guy trying to convince him to let us explore the cave."

Adam looked at him, baffled. "She's just been hanging out with some random guy?"

"Apparently," Ronan said, shrugging. "I don't know how her brain works. Anyway, they're all heading back to Fox Way and we're supposed to go there too."

"You gonna let your dad know they found her?" Adam asked.

Ronan looked down, then handed Adam his phone and started up the car. Shaking his head, Adam sighed and switched the phone on to send Niall a quick text.

***

The atmosphere at 300 Fox Way was at once both icy and scalding. Ronan and Adam had let themselves in, heading down the hall to the kitchen where they found Blue, Calla, Gansey, Persephone, Malory, and also Orla. The presence of Calla's overwhelming fury was enough to add what felt like five more people to the already crowded kitchen.

"I can't believe you aren't dead somewhere," Ronan said loudly as he locked eyes with Blue.

Adam knew this was Ronan trying to cover up the fact that he had been worried about Blue, but that didn't make it a particularly _helpful_ thing to say, so Adam elbowed him in the back and grumbled, "Don't be an asshole."

"Good luck with that," Blue said as she poured a cup of tea for Malory. The tea gave off a pungent, earthy odor which Malory took in with a visible hint of skepticism. Blue turned to face Adam and Ronan. "I've got news about the cave."

"We've got news too," Ronan said. "You go first."

"Jesse Dittley said we can go in if we want," Blue said. "We know there's a sleeper in there, hopefully not the one Mom's supposed to leave asleep. So now we just have to decide if we're going in."

Ronan frowned at her, then shot a glance at Gansey. "Of course we're going in. Why wouldn't we?"

"Because Jesse Dittley also said that there's a curse on the cave," Blue said. Then, clearly noticing the look on Ronan's face just as Adam had, she added, "And my aunt Neeve predicted that he's going to die this year." She gestured at a piece of paper that lay next to Calla on the counter.

"You guys have a death list? That's fucking dark," Ronan said. "Who else is on it?" He started to reach for the paper, but Calla lashed out, almost spilling the drink in her hand as she first slapped Ronan's arm then grabbed the paper, not breaking eye contact with him as she shoved it, apparently, into her bra. Ronan gaped at her, holding his hands up. "Okay, Jesus, I won't look at it."

Adam took in the interaction with a thoughtful frown, and then glanced at Blue. She had a tight, anxious expression on her face that did nothing to alleviate his worry. Persephone too seemed to be avoiding meeting any of their gazes, sitting with her head tipped back and eyes focused on the ceiling.

_Oh God_ , Adam thought with a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. _One of us is on that list._

"Anyway," Blue said, clearing her throat. "I just don't want us to be the ones responsible for Jesse Dittley's death, I think we should make a responsible decision when we do make one." She glanced up, met Adam's gaze, then quickly looked away.

Gansey nodded, rubbing his lower lip with his thumb. "We'll sleep on it, though I think I know what our answer is going to be. Ronan—you said you two had news as well?"

"Yeah," Ronan said. "We took my dad to Cabeswater this morning."

Everyone turned to stare at him. Gansey raised his eyebrows. "How did that go?"

"He knew it already," Ronan said. "Not this one, not this entrance, but apparently when he was a kid back in Belfast he had an access point to it too."

"So... do Cabeswater entrances just pop up?" Gansey asked. He looked at Malory. "Is there a ley line near Belfast? There's got to be, right, I mean—"

"Greywarens cause them," Adam said. "Ronan dreamed up the entrance to it. He gave it a place to exist."

Gansey looked at Ronan again. "You...dreamed up Cabeswater?"

"Yes and no," Ronan said, echoing his father's earlier words.

"I guess that explains why it's so attached to Adam," Blue said.

Adam felt his cheeks color, and he rubbed the back of his neck, shifting self-consciously. He didn't have time for that, however, there were a thousand and one questions he had but one of them needed to be answered tonight. He looked over at Blue, reaching out to touch her arm. "Hey, why don't I take a look at that thing on your bike I was gonna look at quick before we head out."

Blue stared at him, baffled. "What?"

"The...the breaks, you wanted me to fix something on them?" Adam held her gaze, trying to convey without speaking what he wanted.

Thankfully she caught on. "Oh! Yeah, right c'mon it's out back..."

Leaving the others in the kitchen, the two of them stepped out onto the back porch, closing the door behind them. Blue led the way to the far end so no one would accidentally overhear, then she turned and faced Adam, expression curious.

"Which one of us is it?" Adam asked quietly.

"Once I tell you, you can't un-know it," Blue said.

Adam held her gaze. He felt sick, and dizzy. _I don't want to die_ , he thought, but when he opened his mouth the question that came out was, "Is it Ronan?"

Blue just gazed at him.

Relief and grief warred in his chest for a moment, then he said, "Gansey."

Blue closed her eyes, and when she opened them again there was hurt, and remorse, and worry there.

"Jesus," Adam said quietly. He balled his hands into fists, then unclenched them, letting out a slow breath. He looked back at Blue. She looked very small for a moment, and Adam found himself stepping forward to pull her into a slightly awkward embrace, just for a second, just long enough to pat her on the back. When they stepped apart he said firmly, "That's what we'll ask Glendower for then, of course. We'll ask him for Gansey's life."

Blue glanced at the back door. "What about Ronan's brother?"

"Gansey's his brother too," Adam said, rubbing the back of his neck again. "Maybe we'll each get to ask for something. Maybe not. But I think Ronan would agree with this choice."

"Oh, god, Adam you can't tell him," Blue said. "You can't tell Ronan, you have to promise."

"I won't," Adam said, but he closed his eyes for a second.

Gansey.

Declan.

Noah.

How was someone supposed to choose one brother over another? Was it crueler to keep this information from Ronan, or to force him to make that choice? Who gave Adam the right to make that choice anyway?

No one.

"We'll have to tell him eventually," he said finally. "We'll have to tell him when it's time to make the decision. We don't get to decide this for Gansey or for Ronan, this is something we have to all decide together."

Blue looked heartbroken, because they both knew what Gansey would say. Gansey, the most selfless of all of them.

There was something else Adam caught in Blue's expression as well. "You don't have to keep pretending you don't have feelings for him, you know," he said. "I'm not going to be hurt. That wouldn't be fair of me."

"I—" For a second Blue looked like she was gearing up to be angry with Adam, then slowly, she seemed to sink in on herself, deflating, giving in to the exhaustion that had been clearly tugging at her all evening. She puffed out her cheeks for a second, then said, "This sucks."

"I know," Adam murmured, touching her elbow. "But we'll figure it out."

***

Adam and Ronan were off with their friends exploring again. Matthew was at the neighbors', helping their kids build a tree house. Aurora was puttering around the kitchen, and Niall was in the hammock on the back porch trying to dream.

He had not tried to dream since they lost Declan. In fact, he had actively avoided it. When he had dreamed, all that came out was nightmares. He hoped that this time would be different.

He knew that eventually he and Mr. Gray would need _something_ if they had any hope of taking down Greenmantle with as few additional casualties as they could manage, but he didn't know what that was yet. At the moment he wanted to do a trial run of sorts, really just to see if he could without bringing something horrible with him.

Maybe it wasn't a good idea, but Niall wasn't exactly known for good ideas.

Laying one arm above his head, the other hand resting on his stomach, Niall let the rocking motion of the hammock in the slight breeze lull him first into a light doze, and then, slowly, off to sleep.

His dream place was not a forest like Cabeswater, it was the emerald bright top of a grassy hill, with mountains in the distance and a lake shining in the valley below, nothing but open sky and fields and not a single glimpse of the city as far as the eye could see.

That was what Niall had dreamed of, night after night, when he was a child, falling asleep to the sounds of gunshots, of soldiers and tanks in the streets. He had been a child of war, but this was what he dreamed of.

This was where he had first seen Aurora, sitting barefoot in the grass, tying little blue flowers into a chain.

Niall turned, making himself focus on the dream, on the feel of sun on his skin and the warm air, the smell of grass and flowers and water. He turned in a full circle then stopped facing a small shack that stood nearby, the kind that shepherds in the hills sometimes stayed in when they needed to keep an eye on their flock overnight.

Taking one more deep breath of the clear air, Niall started towards the shack. He didn't hesitate as he reached out to open the door, but he did think very hard about what he wanted to find inside; nothing large, nothing complicated, just a simple bracelet he could give to Aurora.

He pushed the door open.

The inside of the shack was more like a storage shed than a temporary residence. It was cluttered with all kinds of things, some that Niall recognized, some that he didn't, some that he couldn't look at for very long because they made his mind hurt.

He stood in the doorway for a moment, looking around, before he spotted what he wanted; two silver bangles sitting in a patch of sunlight on top of a stack of old suitcases. Niall edged his way around other piles of junk until he was close enough to pick up the bracelets, feather-light and cool in his hand, the silver smooth as he ran his thumb along them.

The door creaked behind him, as though something had pushed it the rest of the way open.

Niall sucked in his breath.

Damn it.

This had almost worked.

Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a baseball bat that might serve as a sufficient weapon, but he didn't grab it yet. He braced himself, then spun around, ready to face whatever nightmare creature had followed him in.

But standing in the doorway was not a nightmare. It was something much worse.

"Dad?"

Niall was suffocating. His heart was going to break his ribs with how hard it was pounding. He lifted his hand to his mouth, and then through his fingers whispered " _Declan_."


	13. Chapter 13

Aurora’s mind filled with static.

The plate in her hand slipped, crashing into the sink, shattering. Her head snapped around, gaze focused on the back door, knowing Niall was out there, knowing something was wrong. She abandoned the sink with its shards of broken plate and ran to the back door, flinging it open, stepping out onto the porch.

There, lying in the hammock, Niall. But he was not alone, someone stood over him.

Her heart froze.

No! Not him. Please, not him not—

But...no. The figure standing over Niall was Mr. Gray. He could tell something was wrong as well, something with the way Niall lay there, too stiff and still, his brow furrowed, something glinting under the cage of his fingers where they rested on his stomach.

Mr. Gray looked up when Aurora stepped out, his expression concerned. "Mrs. Lynch, what..."

Static. Roaring. Aurora lifted her hands to her ears for a second, but the sound was inside her head. Niall was hurting, something in his dream was hurting him. Her vision shook as she started across the porch, focused on her husband, her dreamer, her life.

The ley line surged and drained, something drawing power or, at the very least, attention from it.

Aurora's legs gave out. She fell to the floor.

"Shit!" Mr. Gray rushed over to catch her, holding her up.

And now there was another sound in Aurora's head, a voice, or laughter? A woman's voice, someone she didn't know, someone she didn't recognize. Who was this? She was _Niall's_ creation and only Niall's, who else was getting into her mind? She turned with wide eyes to look at Mr. Gray, holding onto his arms, trembling, trying to speak.

"What's going on?!" Mr. Gray said, pale brows furrowed as he looked down at her.

Aurora tried to tell him, but when she opened her mouth it was not her words that came tumbling out: "Blue, lily," she whispered. "Lily, blue."

"What?" Mr. Gray said again, giving her a little tug to try and get her to stand up.

She couldn't stand. She couldn't find her voice. Aurora blinked and felt a tear run down her cheek. She turned and looked at Niall again.

For a second, just for a second, the space around him became hard to see, and for that second, there was another figure standing over him.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

" _NO_!" Aurora screamed, so loud and abrupt that she felt the Gray Man's hands tense on her arms in surprise.

Niall's body arched. He gasped, loudly, like a drowning man breeching the surface of the ocean. Then silence, stillness.

Two, one, one, two.

Blue lily, lily blue.

There was no figure standing over Niall.

The ley line settled again.

Niall sat up. He turned to look at them, his face pale. He met Aurora's gaze. "My beauty," he whispered.

Breaking from the Gray Man's grasp, Aurora ran to her husband. He stood quickly to catch her and hold her close, but the first thing Aurora did was make a weak slapping motion at his face, not hard enough to hurt him, but she got the point across: frustration and admonishment and disappointment.

"You cannot," she gasped, and there were more tears now, her face burning as she tried to cling to and push him away at the same time. "You cannot!"

Niall looked close to tears as well. "I saw him. I saw _him_."

"It wasn't him!" Aurora cried, furious now. "Niall! It wasn't him. My son is dead, don't bring me a shadow and tell me it's him!"

Niall let out a shuddering breath. He wrapped both arms around Aurora and folded her tightly against his chest.

She closed her eyes, hiding her face against his shoulder.

Darkness, the smell of wind and grass.

Her husband, her foolish dreamer.

_Do not bring me shadows, my love, bring me only light._

***

It was late in the evening when Adam and Ronan returned to the Barns, bringing with them through the front door the smell of the fast food hamburgers they were eating as they walked and talked emphatically about the discovery in Jesse Dittley's cave and what, exactly, they were going to do about it.

They found the Lynch parents sitting in the living room. The TV was on quietly, but Aurora was very clearly not paying attention to it, she sat curled against Niall's side, one arm around him, her face resting against the side of his neck.

Ronan recognized it as what his mother did on the rare occasions that she was genuinely upset. He stopped in the doorway to the living room, half-eaten hamburger in one hand, soda in the other. "Hey," he said. "Everything okay?"

Niall looked up at him. "What did you two do today?" It was halfway between an accusation and a normal, fatherly question. "What did you find?"

"Um," Ronan said, glancing at his mother in concern. Aurora lifted her head finally, looking back at her son. "We found a crazy lady."

Adam elbowed him. "We found one of the sleepers. Glendower's daughter. Gwenth... Gwens...   Gwensthlian?

"Gwenllian?" Aurora offered, pronouncing the strange halfway-between-a-TH-and-an-S double-L as flawlessly as if she had been Welsh herself instead of the product of a solidly Irish immigrant's dream.

"Sure," Ronan said. "She's staying with the Fox Way ladies. She's very weird."

"No word of Maura Sargent then?" Niall asked.

Ronan shook his head.

"Pity," Niall said. "Mr. Gray fancies her quite a bit. He was here earlier, asked if we'd heard anything."

"Is that why you guys look so..." Ronan trailed off, making a vague gesture with one hand.

"No," Aurora said quietly. "Your father had a bad dream."

What a funny thing, that statement. In any other family it would be such an innocuous occurrence, everyone had bad dreams. But in a family like the Lynches, that statement carried an obvious weight.

Aurora lifted her arm. Two delicate silver bracelets circled her wrist. "This was all he brought out. But it was bad."

Ronan stepped forward into the room. "Are you okay?"

His father nodded. "Something else was tryin' to get through though, it kept speaking through your mother..."

"Blue lily," Aurora muttered. "Lily blue."

"Oh god, not that again," Ronan said. "That was Gwenllian. That's part of a song she kept singing."

"She was talking through Chainsaw too," Adam said.

Niall frowned. "Tell her to keep her hands off other people's dreams."

"Sure, yeah I'll tell her that," Ronan said. "You sure you guys are okay?"

Aurora smiled then, finally, some of her usual self returning to her expression. "Yes, my darling. You two go on."

Ronan hesitated for just a second later before turning and motioning for Adam to follow him upstairs.

***

For a few minutes they sat in silence on Ronan's bed, cross-legged, facing each other, finishing their food and their sodas. Adam's mind was buzzing; with Gwenllian, with the cave, with the looks on Mr. and Mrs. Lynch's faces when they walked in, with the look that was on Ronan's face now.

With how to save Gansey.

With how to stop Greenmantle.

"He killed your brother," Adam said aloud, slowly. "He killed a kid. That's not the sort of thing you want to go to jail for."

Ronan looked up at him, brows set in a tight scowl. "He's not going to jail. You've heard what Dad and Mr. Gray have been saying, he's too good, he'll have covered his tracks. And he'll know that he especially wouldn't want to go to jail for killing a kid."

"Do you _want_ him to go away for killing your brother?" Adam asked. He knew they were on dangerously thin ice right now and he watched Ronan's face carefully for any signs of cracks. Balling up the now empty fast food bag, Adam tossed it neatly into the wastebasket next to Ronan's desk.

"Yes," Ronan said, gruffly, in answer to his question. "But with all the shit that's going on I'd settle for him going away from Henrietta, going away from us, going away from Mr. Gray. Just going."

"So, we just need to figure out how to blackmail him," Adam said. "You can take anything you want out of your dreams, Ronan. We can come up with enough to implicate him in a hundred horrible things without him having to actually do them."

Ronan sat up a little straighter, staring at Adam with an expression Adam wasn't sure he entirely liked. "Jesus Christ," Ronan said. "You want us to lie?"

"I want us to make sure he doesn't do any more damage," Adam said, but the way Ronan was looking at him was making him start to seriously doubt the plan he'd already begun to formulate in his head.

"Dad and Cheng's mom are figuring something out to deal with him," Ronan said. "Before we go fucking around with shit let's see if we can find out what they're doing, okay?"

Adam sighed. "You don't want—"

"I don't want you turning into a monster because of him," Ronan snapped. "I know you could come up with an air-tight way to frame him for murdering kids and all that shit but I don't want you to, okay?! He's not worth that.

Adam stared at him. Part of him was annoyed that here he was with a solid plan and here was Ronan arguing against it. But the source of Ronan's worry, the source of his anger... _I don't want you turning into a monster._

***

The next day was cool and autumnal. Ronan and Matthew had gone to pick up some lumber with Niall, and Adam was out in the front of the house clearing dead plants from the flower beds by the porch. It wasn't a difficult task, and he appreciated the couple hours of quiet contemplation that it gave him.

He was crouched in the grass, but had his good ear turned in the direction of the driveway, so he heard the familiar engine before he saw it. The minute the sound registered in his mind, even before any conscious recognition began, his throat seized up and his heart started pounding faster.

Adam was already on his feet when his father's truck came around the bend in the drive. He watched it pull up into the parking area in front of the garage and stop. He watched the driver's side door open. He watched his father climb out.

He flinched when Robert Parrish slammed the door shut.

For a second, Robert stood looking up at the house. For a second it seemed as though maybe, just maybe, he too would be moved by the magic of the Barns, would get back in his truck, would leave. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking. He turned and spotted his son.

"So this is where you've been keepin' yourself?" Robert said as he crossed the lawn to Adam.

Adam just stared at him. He was hyper aware of the garden tools at his feet, though the thought of using any of them as a weapon to defend himself was so ridiculous he banished it immediately. He did not answer his father.

That did not go over well. "Is this how it's gonna be?" Robert said, frowning, lips curling in distaste. "You can't even speak to me? Listen, I think you should—"

The front door opened and closed. Both Parrish men looked over and saw Aurora Lynch coming down the front steps, her face set in a hard expression that looked so out of place on her usually gentle features, though Adam felt certain he had seen her looking like that before once.

"Excuse me," Aurora said sharply, stalking over to stand beside Adam, her gaze never once leaving Robert's face. "You aren't supposed to be here."

Robert at least had the good sense to _pretend_ to be polite. "I'm just having a word with my son, Ma'am."

"You're violating your restraining order," Aurora said. "You're also trespassing, Mr. Parrish, I should call the police."

"Adam is my son," Robert said, and there, now a hard edge struck into his voice, the corners of his eyes crinkling just a little. Adam could practically see his anger redirecting itself towards Aurora, and that, Adam thought vaguely, said enough about what kind of monster he was. "I have the right to talk to him."

Aurora blinked slowly, then looked at Adam. "That is up to Adam."

"What do you want, Dad?" Adam asked. Even if they did call the police, it would take them time to get there and Robert would probably get his point across one way or another so he might as well hear him out.

Robert didn't take his eyes off Aurora. "In private."

"No," said Aurora. She was shorter than Robert, especially in her bare feet as she usually was, but there was something about the way she stood there, gazing unafraid up at him... surely Robert had to see it. Surely he had to sense that she was something _other_. Aurora continued to gaze at Adam's father. "Either talk to Adam with me here, or leave."

Or maybe Robert didn't sense it. His lip curled. "D'you talk to your husband like this?"

"I don't need to talk to my husband like this," Aurora said.

" _Dad_ ," Adam said, and even he was surprised by how much force he put behind the word. "What do you want?"

Robert turned on him again, taking a deep breath and running a hand over his head, as though to calm himself down. "Look, I know we had words, but I think it's high time you call this thing off. Your mother's real upset, and besides that you're gonna look real foolish the day of if you go through with this."

A breeze picked up. It rustled the trees and the grass around them. It blew Aurora's golden curls about her head. On it, Adam could smell dirt, and rain, and growing things. _Cabeswater_. He glanced to his right. There, in the window of his father's truck, he saw a reflection of the three of them where they stood: him and Aurora on one side, his father on the other.

And now he saw it, in his father's eyes. Robert Parrish was looking at his son and not recognizing what he saw.

_That's right_ , Adam thought, gazing right back at him. _I belong here._

"This is how it's going to be," Robert said. "After all your mother and I have done for you, all we've sacrificed, you turn your back on us. You think you belong here? You think you'll ever be one of these people?" He gestured towards the house, somehow including the silent Aurora in it.

_I do, I am_ , Adam thought.

"Jesus Christ," Robert sneered, as Adam remained still and unresponsive. "Can you even act like you're hearing me?"

"I heard you," Adam said quietly.

"Sass, that's nice!" Robert said. He was revving himself up, his eyes taking on that fierce annoyance that in the before times would've set Adam into a fit of terror because it usually left him with a black eye, or worse. And even though Aurora's presence didn't seem to be mitigating his father's anger anymore, somehow Adam wasn't afraid.

He didn't want to get hit, but he refused to be frightened.

"You're gonna look real foolish up there in that court room, like I said," Robert continued, swatting at a bug buzzing around his head. "You think you know what abuse is? You don't, but that judge will, and he'll know how to spot a steaming pile of bullshit from a mile off!" There were more insects now, and Robert waved both hands to shoo them away, looking annoyed.

Aurora put her hand on Adam's shoulder. To Robert she said, "I think you should leave now, Mr. Parrish."

"And I think you should— _ah,_ " Adam's father made a frustrated sound, slapping at his cheek now. He was now surrounded by a small cloud of... what? Flies? Mosquitos? No they were too big...

_Wasps_.

Cursing, trying to keep the darting insects away from his face, Robert turned and headed back to his car. He got inside, doing his best to not let any of the wasps in with him. He slammed the door and turned to look back out the window at his son.

Adam closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, he saw nothing but a cloud of dead leaves blowing against the side of his father's car, and on the other side of the window, Robert Parrish, giving him a wide-eyed stare like he didn't recognize Adam anymore.

Adam tilted his chin up, just a little, watching as his father turned the truck in a careful U-turn and retreated back down the drive.

Aurora squeezed his shoulder. When he looked at her, she smiled. "Why don't you come inside for a bit?" she said softly. "I'll make you some lunch."

***

At lunchtime on a weekday most popular and upscale D.C. restaurants were filled to the brim with politicians and business people, which meant that Niall Lynch and Mr. Gray—both good looking men in their forties dressed in custom tailored suits—blended in perfectly. So did Laumonier, who was already sitting at a table by the window when the hostess showed Niall and Mr. Gray over.

Niall did not know which of the Laumonier triplets was sitting here. He didn't know which of the Laumonier triplets was Piper Greenmantle's father. He wondered if Piper Greenmantle herself knew. He also couldn't tell them apart until they opened their mouths, but he supposed that too was intentional.

Whichever Laumonier was seated at the table watched him and Mr. Gray as they sat down on the other side without saying anything.

"I'll cut right to the chase, shall I?" Niall said, resting his elbows on the table. "Your son in law had my son killed. He had someone shoot my _teenaged son_ in the head."

Laumonier mulled that over. He frowned, reaching out to pick up his glass and take a sip, then said, "I cannot say that is a surprise."

Not the French accent Laumonier then.

"No," Niall said with a grim smile. "Not a surprise at all."

"I will then hazard a guess," Laumonier continued, "that you and Seondeok are plotting to remove the Greenmantles? A risky gamble, revealing that plan to me."

"Not really," Niall said. "We're not keepin' it a secret. If the Greenmantles haven't figured out yet that we want to take them out, well, that's on them. Besides, I'm bankin' that most people in this community don't want someone who's willing to kill children having as much power as Colin Greenmantle does among us."

Again, Laumonier pondered his words while taking another drink. "That is a fair and accurate point, Mr. Lynch. That is not something I am interested in having. But I must also ask, what are you planning in regard to the reason he had your son killed? What of the Greywaren?"

"Well," Niall said. "I'm glad you brought that up. I'm willing to disclose more details of what and where it is to the people who agree to stand against the Greenmantles with us."

Laumonier raised his eyebrows. "You will forgive me if I don't believe you."

"I've told Seondeok. And Mr. Gray here."

"Hm," Laumonier said, pursing his lips and casting a skeptical look in the direction of Mr. Gray, who had been sitting silently the whole time. "May I ask what your plan is, exactly?"

Niall smiled. "Well, step one is to get as many people on our side as we can. Hasn't been too hard. Usually we just have to say 'they're child murderers' and people come over real quick like. But you, sir, and your brothers are the important ones."

" _Hm_ ," Laumonier said again, a little more pointedly this time. "I hope you do not think that I have any influence over Piper."

"Influence, no, impact? Certainly."

Laumonier let out a humorless laugh. "Piper is not the sentimental type."

"That's not what I mean," Niall said.

"Then what, exactly, do you need from me?"

"First," Niall said. "I need to know if you're with us or not."

Laumonier took a long time pondering this. And then, slowly, he held his hand out to Niall. "We are with you," he said gravely.

Niall grinned, shaking his hand. "Grand."

 


	14. Chapter 14

When Calla answered the door at 300 Fox Way and found not a client but Niall Lynch standing on the front porch, her first response was to do a slight double take. "It's you," she said, sounding just a little more displeased than curious. Then she added, "The kids aren't here."

"I certainly hope they aren't," Niall said. It was the middle of the afternoon on a week day, and while he knew Ronan skipped class a little more than he should, Ronan at least had the dignity to  _try_ and hide this from his parents. "I actually wanted to meet this witch they found in the cave."

"Oh." Calla's face twisted into an even more bemused expression. "Gwenllian. Well, good luck with that. I take no responsibility for anything she might say or sing at you."

Niall let out a single laugh. "Whatever it ends up being, I'm sure I've heard worse."

Here Calla smirked a little. "I'm sure you have too. Come on, she's out back in the tree."

Niall stepped inside, waiting as Calla closed the front door behind him then motioned for him to follow her through. There seemed to be fewer people in the house than previous visits, he noticed, though this probably had to do mostly with the fact that children would all be in school at this time of day. Still, there was a reasonable amount of activity and Persephone waved from the doorway of one room they passed, and Niall ducked his head in greeting.

Once in the back yard, Calla gave a grand, flourishing gesture and said, "Well, there she is."

Beneath the huge and ancient tree that occupied the yard stood a strange looking woman. She wore a hodgepodge of mismatched clothing and Niall could see an equally strange and mismatched collection of items stuck into her mass of black hair. She had been craning her head back to look at the tree, but when the screen door closed she whirled around, regarding them with a wide-eyed, curious expression, her whole body seeming to quiver. It reminded Niall of a wild animal's wary stance.

"I thought I heard the footsteps of a dreamer!" Gwenllian said. She extended one hand towards Niall, not quite a greeting, but certainly an acknowledgement. "Greywaren, Greywaren, was your son the raven prince who stood in my tomb?"

Niall took a few steps towards her. "Raven prince is a new one, but that sounds like my Ronan."

Gwenllian still had one hand extended and she turned it, fingers curling and unfurling before she wrapped both arms around herself. "What a strange one you are. Dreams begat dreams begat dreams! But oh how your blood has wended since my father's day!"

"There was a Greywaren in Glendower's time?" Niall asked. "You know the place called Cabeswater as well, then?"

"Your blood has always been, again and again," Gwenllian said. "As old as dirt and twice as bitter, as old as stars and twice as bright. They took me to the dream place to be buried."

Niall nodded. "The boys said they found you in Cabeswater."

Gwenllian watched him, then abruptly surged forward, coming to a stop a little too close to Niall, though he didn't move, even when she leaned in so close their noses were nearly touching. Gwenllian stared him right in the eye, her chin tilted upward, nostrils flaring. 

After a minute or so of this Niall said, "Well?"

"What weapon do you need, dreamer?" Gwenllian said. 

"Did you read my mind?" Niall asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I read your face."

Niall glanced back over his shoulder at Calla, who had remained by the door. It was hard to tell if she had overheard or not, since she seemed to always be scowling when she looked at him. He turned back to Gwenllian. "What are you?"

"I am a mirrrrrror," Gwenllian cooed, with a generous roll of her r. "You are a wand, o desert king on his tall throne."

"In the old days I heard that kings always consulted their oracles before going to war," Niall said, voice still low. "You clearly know what I'm plannin' on doing, witch. What do you say?"

Gwenllian made an odd gesture, resting her chin in one palm, and the elbow of that arm on the palm of the other, a pseudo thinker pose as she regarded Niall with narrowed eyes. "Be wary what else sleeps underground, dreamer."

"Why?" Niall asked.

"It is your antithesis." Then, without further explanation of that, Gwenllian reached out, grabbing Niall by the shoulders and jerking him closer so she could whisper in his ear, "Be wary what else sleeps in your mind, dreamer."

Niall knew this already, but still, he whispered back, "Why?"

Gwenllian sighed and murmured, "You can only protect the living. You cannot raise the dead."

***

Morning at Aglionby found the central quad swarming with students and faculty and construction workers. The sunlight was cool and deep golden in color, crows screeched to each other from the rooftops and trees, and everything had a vaguely fantastical, dream-like quality to it. Ronan stood with Adam and Gansey, his thumbs hooked around the strap of his messenger bag, his brow furrowed. Gansey was busy talking to Henry Cheng, who was busy petitioning the school for some kind of student council. Ronan wasn't sure about the details but he  _was_  sure that he didn't care.

He looked at his boyfriend. 

Adam was looking up at the top of the building nearest them, hugging a textbook to his chest. Rather, his face was turned in the direction of the building, but his eyes were unfocused and glazed, and Ronan knew his mind was somewhere else. Maybe he was thinking about the ley line. Maybe he was thinking about what they were going to do about Greenmantle. 

Abruptly, Ronan turned to face the table. "Cheng," he barked, a little louder than intended.

"What?!" Henry feigned exaggerated surprise, putting one hand to his chest. "Did I just get addressed by Ronan Lynch in public?!  _What_  is happening!"

Ronan leaned forward, resting both hands flat on the table. "What's going on with my dad and your mom? Do you know?"

Henry leaned in closer. "I swear they're just friends. Whatever you've heard."

" _What_?" Ronan didn't process that for a second, and when he did he made a disgusted face. "Of course they're just fucking friends who said they weren't?"

"They  _aren't_  fucking, that's what I'm saying," Henry said. "And I don't know! People!" 

"Blech," Ronan gagged a little, still glaring at the other boy. "Jesus Christ, that's not what I meant! I meant what are they  _plotting_?  _God_."

"How should I know what they're plotting?" Henry asked. "It's not like Mother tells me anything about her work."

Ronan rubbed his jaw, turning to look at Adam again, but he was still staring off into space.

Gansey reached over to pat Henry's shoulder. "I'll go get you that coffee."

"Much obliged, Richardman!" Henry watched Gansey go, then turned back to Ronan. "All I know is that they're working together on something. But seriously, man, even when I'm involved in business things she keeps me out of the details. She's always saying the less I know the better. Why don't you ask your father? He seems a little more open."

"Yeah tried that, he told me to fuck off," Ronan said. "Not exactly, but that's what he meant. All I know is it has to do with Greenmantle."

Henry frowned, reaching up to smooth his hair back into form as he thought. "The new Latin teacher?"

"Yeah he..." But Ronan trailed off. He didn't trust Henry yet. "He's not good. He's involved in their shit, you know. Magical trade. But he's a problem."

"Right," Henry said slowly. He looked like he knew there was something Ronan wasn't telling him. "Is it something that--"

He never got to finish his next question. From above their heads came a loud grating sound, accompanied by frantic shouts. Ronan didn't have time to even look up before something fell from the nearby scaffolding right in front of him, hitting the grass with a crash loud enough to be mistaken for an explosion, especially with the huge cloud of dust that burst outward.

Slate tiles. A whole pallet of them. And they had fallen right where—

" _ADAM!_ " Ronan shouted the second he realized. Adrenaline surged up so hard it hurt, and he was lunging forward, already with images in his mind of Adam crumpled on the ground, broken and... Except that wasn't what he saw. Adam was still on his feet, blinking in confusion. Around him was a perfect circle of clean grass. Ronan stopped at the edge of the circle. He himself was covered in a gritty layer of dust. The lawn around them was dotted with broken tiles, some of which stuck up out of the grass like knives. Ronan had one hand extended towards Adam, but he remained frozen, gaping. As soon as he was able to take in that Adam was quite obviously unharmed he said, "What the fuck, dude?"

Adam looked down at himself, then back up at Ronan. "I... I don't know... what..."

In the background people were gathering in a murmuring circle, and someone was communicating to the workmen that everyone was fine, and Henry was communicating to the workmen that they were going to get sued to within an inch of their life, and teachers were running out of buildings. Ronan's attention was still on Adam. 

He closed the last foot or so between them, grabbing Adam by the shoulders and looking him over.

"I'm okay," Adam said lowly. "I don't know what happened, but I'm okay, Ronan, I promise."

"Cabeswater?" Ronan asked, because he couldn't think of anything else.

Adam shrugged, reaching up to grasp Ronan's wrist in one hand. "I'm okay," he said again.

Ronan wrapped an arm around Adam's shoulders, hugging him close for a second and ignoring the wolf-whistle someone let out at this public display of affection. "Don't fucking scare me like that again."

"Right," Adam said dryly. "I'll remember that next time a box of tiles falls on my head."

"What's going on?!" This was Gansey, elbowing his way through the crowd finally. He took in the sight before him of dust-covered Ronan with an arm around the conspicuously not dust-covered Adam. "What happened?! Adam, are you alright?"

"Yes," Adam said. He didn't shrug Ronan's arm off like he usually might, however, and instead rested his own hand on the small of Ronan's back. "I'm fine. I don't know what happened."

Gansey side-eyed him uncertainly. He glanced at Ronan, but Ronan wasn't able to offer any other explanation beyond a slight shrug. 

People were starting to clear away now that they had confirmed there were no gruesome injuries to commemorate to Instagram. Ronan tightened his arm a little around Adam's shoulders and Adam, who was usually hesitant to participate in any PDA, leaned into Ronan, head almost resting on his shoulder. Ronan frowned a little. Whatever Adam said, he didn't think he was okay. 

Mr. Abernathy, one of the history teachers, came hurrying over to them. "Mr. Parrish, Mr. Lynch—are you both alright? Do we need to call an ambulance?"

Ronan looked at him, raising his eyebrows in a  _Do I look like I need an ambulance_ expression.

"No, we're fine, sir," Adam said, lifting his head. "We didn't get hit."

Mr. Abernathy opened his mouth, then happened to glance down at the circle of clear grass. He frowned a little, then looked at the two boys again, one covered in dust and one not. "We're, ah, we're speaking with the work crew. You're sure you're not hurt?"

"We're fine," Adam said again.

"Alright, if you're sure, you'd better get along to class..." he said, still eyeing them uncertainly.

Ronan flashed his most insolent grin in response, giving Mr. Abernathy a thumbs-up before steering Adam (and by proxy, Gansey, who shouted a quick goodbye to Henry) towards the main path.

Though he kept his arm around Ronan, Adam hunched his shoulders a little, looking down at their feet. Ronan took this opportunity to look over at Gansey and exchange a mildly worried look.

***

At the end of the day Adam was half inside his locker when something slammed into the one next to him. He jumped violently, taking a step back.

"Hey," Ronan said, raising his eyebrows. "It's just me."

Adam frowned at him. "Asshole. Don't do that."

"Sorry." Ronan reached out, resting the fingertips of one hand against Adam's side as he leaned in to give him a light kiss. As he drew back he asked, "so what's the plan for tomorrow? Are we taking the whole day off or just a half day?"

"What're you talking about," Adam said, even though he knew very well what Ronan was talking about. He busied himself putting notebooks into his bag. 

"C'mon man, your court date."

Adam glanced at him. " _I'm_ taking the whole day."

"Okay, I'll do that too."

"Ronan..."

"What?" Ronan gave him a look. "I'm coming."

Adam closed his locker, turning to face him. "I didn't ask you to."

"I was literally  _there_ ," Ronan said. "I saw what your dad did. Gansey and I've seen the bruises and shit and we've seen him yelling at you..."

"I especially don't want Gansey there!" Adam said. He could feel his anger rising, like hydrochloric acid filling a too-small graduated cylinder, about to spill over at any minute. He gritted his teeth, breathing heavily through his nose. "Can't you just respect that?"

"Newsflash, that's how trials work, you bring witnesses," Ronan said. "This isn't charity, this is just how things work, don't be a dumbass about this!"

Adam slung his bag over his shoulder, glaring at him. "And you don't get to be condescending about this. This is half the reason I don't want you and Gansey coming along."

"Are you being serious right—"

"Wooo," someone hollered as they passed them. "Uh oh, trouble in the Parrish-Lynch paradise??"

Adam whirled around, locking eyes with the speaker, a slightly bombastic jock from one of their math classes. Something snapped inside Adam, and he snarled, loud enough for everyone in the hall to hear, "Shut the fuck up and mind your own damn business!"

The murmur of voices died a little as their nearest fellow students realized that yes, it was indeed quiet and brooding Adam Parrish who had just shouted, cursing not once but twice in the same sentence. They all stared at him for a moment, before slipping back into their previous conversations.

Face burning, Adam hunched his shoulders and turned back to Ronan. He looked up and was relieved to see a neutral expression on Ronan's face.

"You know, you're kinda freaking me out today," Ronan said quietly. 

Adam rubbed his nose. "Can we just go home? Please?"

***

When they first got back to the Barns, Adam didn't feel like talking to anyone, so he headed straight upstairs to his room and closed the door, leaving Ronan to explain about the day's events to the rest of the family. As he listened to the sounds of the Lynches moving around downstairs, talking and laughing, he sat at the desk under the window, alternating between working on his homework and staring out at the window, lost in five billion different trains of thought.

At some point when the sun was starting to sink below the mountains, Aurora slipped into the room and set a plate of food on Adam's desk. She smiled at him, softly, and squeezed his shoulder before slipping out without saying anything.

Adam hunched his shoulders and glanced at the plate of food guiltily.

Still, it wasn't until very late in the evening that Adam finally left his room, taking the plate silently downstairs to deposit in the dishwasher then creeping back up to the second floor and making his way down the hall to the door of Ronan's room.

The door was ajar, and Adam nudged it open, stepping inside. The room was lit by the single desk lamp, and the last fading remnants of the evening outside. Though the floor was relatively clean, Ronan's room maintained a constant state of lived-in clutter that Adam had come to appreciate. Ronan himself was sprawled out on the bed, still dressed, and he had one arm folded behind his head, eyes closed, his other hand resting on his stomach. 

Adam watched him for a moment. Ronan was clearly asleep, but his brow was furrowed, and his closed lips had a tight set to them. Stepping further into the room Adam nudged the door closed behind him and padded over to sit on the edge of the bed. Ronan didn't so much as twitch.

"Ro?" Adam said quietly, reaching out to brush a curl of Ronan's hair back from his forehead.

On Ronan's stomach, his fingers twitched. Then he shifted, letting out a long breath before his eyes opened. He started a little. "Jesus, Parrish, where the hell did you come from?"

"Were you dreaming?" Adam asked, leaning back a little so Ronan could sit up.

"Nah," Ronan said. "I got bored doing homework and decided to take a nap."

Adam nodded, biting his lip. He looked down, then crept his hand along the bed to lay his fingers over Ronan's. "Sorry I freaked you out earlier. I've been... today's been weird. I didn't want to fight with you though."

"Yeah me neither," Ronan said, leaning over and touching his nose to Adam's cheek, until Adam turned his head and kissed him. 

Adam rested his forehead against Ronan's, closing his eyes and breathing in the smell of Ronan's skin and clothes for a moment. Then he said quietly, "I want you to come tomorrow. You and Gansey, if you both want."

"You sure?" Ronan asked.

"Yeah," Adam said, nodding a little. He sat back so he could look at Ronan.

Ronan looked at him for a second, then laughed quietly.

"What?" Adam asked, scowling. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Ronan said, reaching out to nudge Adam's cheek with his knuckles. "Magician."

"Dreamer," Adam said, and he found himself smiling again.

"C'mere," Ronan said, leaning back against the headboard. 

Adam found himself still smiling as he lay against Ronan, kissing him again, deeply and lazily. Ronan leaned up into the kiss, hands running down the length of Adam's back. Pressing closer, Adam found himself clutching at the front of Ronan's shirt with one hand, the other cupping the back of his neck. He didn't want to think about anything else, not the court date, not school, not Glendower or the ley line or Gwenllian or Greenmantle or any of it. 

All he wanted to think about was Ronan, and himself, here, like this, this moment stretching out forever and ever, perfectly. 

"Door's closed," Ronan murmured against his lips, half question, half confirmation.

Just them, here, like this.

Adam nodded, letting out a tremulous breath as he slid his hand down from Ronan's chest to feel for the buckle of his belt.

***

Niall had not spent much time on the Aglionby campus. Family events and socializing were much more Aurora's thing, but he hadn't lost his ability for talking his way into places and so, after a brief stop at the main office, he found himself heading across the brightly lit quad towards the old building where the classics classes were held. It was between periods so only a few straggling students were rushing back inside, and that was good, he didn't need Ronan or Matthew or their friends to know they were here.

Once inside Borden House, Niall headed upstairs and down a hallway until he found the office he was looking for. He didn't bother knocking, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Greenmantle managed to keep himself from looking surprised when he glanced up and saw Niall. He even smiled a little, setting aside whatever he was doing to lean forward, elbows and folded hands on the desk. "My office hours aren't until later."

"Too bad," Niall said, closing the door and walking over to the desk. He moved a stack of books and sat down in one of the chairs in front of it, leaning back and slouching a little in an intentionally insolent pose. "I've got a proposition for ya."

"Is that so," Greenmantle said. "Well, I'm sure Piper won't mind but your wife doesn't seem like the type to share..."

Niall ignored him. "You still want the Greywaren?"

"Of course I still want the fucking Greywaren," Greenmantle sneered. "Why do you think I'm still here? Because I enjoy teaching a bunch of teenagers?"

"I'm willing to give it to you," Niall said. "With conditions, of course."

Greenmantle frowned. "Well, now you'll have to forgive me if I express a little bit of skepticism here, Lynch, but the last time we talked you told me to go fuck myself. Why the change of heart? And where's your little pet, I thought Mr. Gray was permanently licking your boots or whatever."

"I think my terms are pretty understandable," Niall said. "I want you to stay away from my family. Forever."

"Understandable indeed," Greenmantle said, twiddling his thumbs. 

"As for Mr. Gray," Niall continued. "Well, the thing is, no one else knows I'm here offerin' you this. I was making a plan with Mr. Gray and Seondeok and the others but... I thought to myself..." He paused, shaking his head and taking a moment to lay on the remorseful expression as thick as he could.  For Greenmantle's benefit, Niall swallowed thickly, rubbing the back of his neck. "The thing is, I lost one child already. I've got to look out for the others. Fuck the politics of the community, if it'll keep my family safe you can have the damn thing."

Greenmantle didn't respond right away. He leaned forward, studying Niall's face.

_Come on, you bastard_ , Niall thought.  _I'm offering you the holy grail. Just take it._

"Where is it?" Greenmantle asked.

"Not anywhere you can get to yourself," Niall said. "It's near here, but it's hidden in a place called Cabeswater."

"Cabeswater," Greenmantle repeated. "And you'll tell me how to get there?"

Niall shook his head. "I'll take you to it. But you have to  _swear_ , you hear me, swear that once you have it you'll leave Henrietta and never show your face here again."

The corner of Greenmantle's mouth twitched. His eyes glinted. "Scout's honor," he said, holding up two fingers. "You give me the Greywaren, you'll never hear from me again."

"We have a deal then," Niall said, holding his hand out.

Greenmantle grasped it, giving it a firm shake.

Niall held on only as long as he had to, then he got to his feet. "I'll be in touch," he said, before he turned and left, heading back out into the brilliant fall afternoon and across campus to the parking lot where his car was parked.

He got in, closed the door, then turned to the Gray Man, who was sitting in the passenger seat.

"Did he fall for it?" Mr. Gray asked.

"Hook, line and sinker," Niall said. "He's a fucking idiot."

Mr. Gray shifted. "Did he promise to leave your family alone if you gave it to him?"

"Aye," Niall said, pulling his phone out to text Seondeok.

"Do you believe that he will?"

"Mr. Gray," Niall said with a sigh, dropping the phone into the cup holder. "The day I believe anything Colin Greenmantle promises to do will be the day Ronan decides he wants to go into politics."

Mr. Gray blinked, then laughed, shaking his head as Niall started the car up again.

***

Late in the afternoon Ronan was wandering the house trying to decide what to do with himself. Adam was in town on mysterious magician business, and Aurora had already roped Matthew into helping with household chores, which Ronan was a little too restless for, so he slipped down the back stairs and out the door thinking to find his father. 

When he did locate Niall, it was out in one of the far back fields, around behind one of the barns. Niall was leaning on the fence of a small paddock that hadn't been used since Ronan was very little and they'd last had horses. Something was trotting around in the paddock, and Niall was watching it intently.

Ronan jogged over to stand beside his father. "What are yo—what the hell is  _that_?"

The creature trotting around the paddock was vaguely equine, like a very starved horse or deer, but it's long, spindly legs came to points, and when it swung its head to look at them as it passed, Ronan saw that it had no real face. The bones that shifted under its pale white, paper-thin skin as it trotted around seemed entirely wrong too. 

"I dreamed it," Niall said. "What do you think?"

"Uh..." Ronan continued to watch the thing. It slowed, turning its head in the direction of a flock of birds that had just landed in the woods nearby. "I think it's fucking scary as shit. Something you wanna talk about, Dad?"

Niall drummed his fingers on the top of the fence. "Nothing you need to worry about."

"You gonna send that thing after Greenmantle?"

In Ronan's pocket his phone started going off. This was actually the sixth or seventh time it had, but he wasn't really in the mood to talk to anyone.

Niall took this as a perfectly good reason to not answer his question. "You gonna answer that?"

With a sigh, Ronan fished his phone out. The display read 'Maggot.' It also showed several missed calls from the same number, and also from Gansey's. Ronan answered it this time. "Yo. What?"

"Ronan." It was Adam. Something was wrong though, his voice sounded strained and distant.

Ronan frowned. "Hey, what's up? You okay?"

"Ronan," Adam said again, his breath hitching. "I really...we really need you to...to come here. Something terrible's happened."

For a second Ronan's heart skipped. He had never heard Adam sound like that before. His distress must have been apparent on his face too because his father reached out to put a seadying hand on his shoulder.

"Ro?" Adam said.

"I'm here," Ronan murmured. "I'm here. What happened?"

There was a long quiet moment before Adam replied, and when he did it was in an even quieter and rougher voice than before. "It's Persephone. She's dead."


	15. Chapter 15

When Niall and Ronan arrived at 300 Fox Way the ambulance was just pulling away, somber, its lights off and siren silent. Gansey's orange Camaro was parked across the street, and as Niall got out of his own car, he could see Adam sitting on the front steps, arms resting on his knees. Ronan circled around the car to stand beside Niall, hesitating.

"Go on," Niall murmured, jerking his chin in Adam's direction. "I'll be inside."

Ronan gave one short nod and went to join his boyfriend. Niall followed, continuing on up the stairs past the boys and inside the house. As he opened the door he heard Adam say, "I don't wanna talk." To which Ronan replied gruffly, "The fuck I'd talk about?"

For the number of people Niall found gathered in the kitchen, the atmosphere was shockingly subdued. Glancing around the kitchen he did not see Blue, or Gansey, but that was just as well. They weren't the ones they needed to talk to. 

Calla was standing in the far corner, leaning back against the counter, an unreadable expression on her face and a glass of something in her hand. Niall walked over to her. Instead of saying anything, he reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, giving it a sympathetic squeeze. 

"We found her between two mirrors in the attic," Calla said. Her usually impassioned voice was flat, and dull sounding. "I think she was doing something... something to do with Maura. Why the hell she had to do it this way I don't fucking know." She took a long drink from her glass, then sucked in a breath through clenched teeth before snarling, "God  _damn_ it! God damn it all."

Niall folded his arms over his chest, nodding, frowning thoughtfully down at the floor.

"There is too much death," Calla said next. Then she stopped and looked at Niall. "Sorry. I don't need to tell you that."

"Don't apologize," Niall said. "You're not wrong."

Calla opened her mouth to say something else, but something at the door caught her attention. Niall turned as well. Gansey stood in the kitchen doorway, his expression resolute. "I was just talking to Blue. We're going to go into the cave. The one we found in Cabeswater. The one that meets up with the cave we found Gwenllian in. We're going in to find Maura."

Silence met this. Niall cocked his head.

Then Calla banged her empty glass down on the counter. "I'm coming with you. Enough of this flying solo nonsense." Emotion had returned to her voice, Niall was glad to hear. One emotion in particular: anger.

Gansey looked relieved, but also like he was going to argue. 

Calla held up a finger. "I'm not going to argue about this, either, Richie-rich." She looked to Niall then. "And what about you, dreamer? This is your home turf."

Niall sighed. He ran his fingers through his hair, then attempted what he hoped came off as a devil-may-care kind of smile. "I have other business I need to take care of, I'm afraid. Tangentially related."

"Greenmantle?" Gansey hazarded.

"Aye." Niall gave a slow nod. "Greenmantle.

"Alright," Gansey said. "What are you doing with him, if I may ask?"

Niall's smile turned into more of a grimace. "You may not. I'll tell you what I told Ronan: don't worry about it. You lot just worry about looking after yourselves, alright?"

***

Against what better judgement he possessed, Niall left Ronan with the others to run off on their little adventure. Really though, he had little choice at this point. It was either let Ronan go into the caves or drag him along to deal with Greenmantle, and the farther apart he could keep Greenmantle and his family, the happier he would be. 

Just as Niall was pulling his car up into the driveway of Greenmantle's rental home, his phone rang in his pocket. Niall shut off the car and pulled out his phone, holding it to his ear. "Lynch," he said.

"It's me," said the Gray Man on the other end. "Listen, we might have trouble. You said the kids are going into a cave, right?"

"Ahuh," Niall said slowly, drumming his fingers on the wheel.

"So is Piper Greenmantle and a pair of nasty looking thugs."

Niall's jaw clenched. Through the kitchen windows of the house before him he saw Greenmantle moving around, then pause as he no doubt noticed the charcoal BMW parked in his drive. "It won't be the same one, they don't know where Cabeswater is."

"No they're headed for the other one, the one on that farm," said Mr. Gray. "But we don't know that there isn't a way from one to the other."

"Damn it," Niall muttered. "Why is Piper Greenmantle interested in whatever's down there?"

"...Are you joking?" Mr. Gray asked. 

"Fair point," Niall said with a bitter laugh. "Right. I'll handle Greenmantle—you go to that other cave and see if you can't stop his wife."

"You're asking me to go one against three?" Mr. Gray's skeptical tone only got heavier.

"Don't give me that," Niall said. He knew he sounded irritated, but he  _was_  irritated; not at Mr. Gray of course, but still. This was not going nearly as smoothly as he had hoped. (And here he could practically hear Seondeok in his head scoffing at him for being too optimistic.). "I know you can handle them, Mr. Gray, I've seen you fight."

Mr. Gray heaved a loud sigh. "I'll do my best. You sure you can handle Greenmantle on your own?"

"Once I get him into Cabeswater I won't be on my own," Niall said. 

"Alright," the Gray Man said quietly. "I'll see you on the other side then, one way or another."

 Niall returned the phone to his pocket and got out of the car. By the time he reached the front door it was open, and Greenmantle was waiting for him on the front steps.

"Hello, hello!" Colin said with a wide, frenetic smile. "Why so serious, Lynch? You look like someone just died."

"And you look like you're high as a kite," Niall said.

Colin made no effort to deny or confirm that fact. "I hope you're here because you're bringing me the Greywaren."

"I told you," Niall said. "I have to take you to it. Is that a problem?"

"Of course it's a problem, I wouldn't fucking trust you to take me to McDonalds, man, let alone some unknown magical location!"

Niall spread his arms. "Search me if you like, I'm unarmed."

Colin glared at him, but stepped forward to quickly and not very effectively frisk him down. Then, standing a little too close to Niall, their faces an inch apart, he murmured, "I know you, and if you were going to bring a weapon you'd be smart enough not to keep it on your person. I'll come with you, Lynch, but we're taking my car."

"Fair enough," Niall said, refusing to back down. "That's fine by me."

Colin remained where he was, studying Niall's face intently.

"Is there a problem?" Niall asked after a moment. "Or are you just happy to see me?"

"I'm trying to figure out what the hell you're up to," Colin said. "Years of denial and now you decide to just hand this over to me? It seems too easy."

Niall tilted his head. "I told you. I learned from my mistakes. I'm just looking after my family."

"Sentiment is the sort of thing that gets you killed in this line of work, you know," Colin said. 

"Are you saying you wouldn't die for your wife?"

Colin scowled. "Hell no. Mainly because the person to put me in a position to die probably would  _be_ my wife."

"That's fucked up," Niall said.

"You're really not in a position to judge, Lynch," Colin said, snorting. He pulled the door closed behind him. "Now are we going or not?"

***

Cabeswater was waiting for them. Of course it was. Niall didn't know where else he would expect a magical forest to be, but something had given him the uneasy worry that it would try to hide if it knew what he was doing. 

Getting someone else to do his dirty work, in a way. That was another thing Niall's uncle had hated: "If you're going to hurt a man, Niall, it had better be your fist hitting his teeth," Fionn had said to him once. "Not some lackeys."

Niall wondered what his uncle would have thought about Mr. Gray.

Niall wondered if Colin had killed Declan himself. 

The thought erased any feelings of guilt that Niall might have as he directed Colin to park his car on the grassy shoulder of the road. This was not near where the kids would be going in to find their cave, but it would still take them into Cabeswater, and that was all they needed. He and Colin got out of the car. Colin stood by the driver's side door, watching Niall expectantly.

"This is Cabeswater," Niall said, nodding at the wall of trees before him.  _This_  was his gamble, of course, playing this hand so openly. If Colin did survive today he would know about Cabeswater, which was risky. 

Ronan also would not like this part, revealing one of their deepest secrets, Niall was certain, but his son would forgive him. Eventually. He hoped.

"Okay," Colin said, looking at the trees and nodding slowly. "And the Greywaren is in there?"

Niall Lynch was a liar, and he wore a liar's face when he smiled. "Aye."

Except that wasn't a lie. One of the Greywarens  _was_  in there, assuming Ronan and his friends were still in the cave. The other was  _about_  to be in there, as soon as Niall started walking.

"Lead the way then," Colin said.

_With pleasure, you bastard,_  Niall thought. 

Cabeswater swallowed them. The minute they stepped through the boundaries and in under the trees all the sounds from outside vanished as though Colin had pulled a door closed behind them. The sunlight that lit their way was dappled with green, and the forest around them was deathly still, and silent. Maybe Cabeswater did know what Niall was up to. Maybe it was picking up on his own mood. Maybe whatever the children and Calla were doing underground was messing with the energy.

"I hope you're not just taking me here to shoot me," Colin said after they'd been walking for a minute or two. "That would be so  _boring._ " 

Niall didn't answer. He wasn't exactly sure what he was looking for, but he would know it when he saw it. They kept walking. 

They walked for nearly twenty minutes; over hills and through glens, around fallen trees, under low hanging branches. Niall kept glancing at the sun, which he could make out through breaks in the canopy, but mostly he trusted that as the Greywaren he wouldn't get lost. He never had before, and he'd been much younger back then.

They came to a clearing. It wasn't a clearing in the sense of being open to the sky, but there was a little brook and a large swath of forest floor that had no trees growing out of it, but plenty of boughs above it. A large stone jutted up out of the middle. It was very impressive looking.

When Niall stopped, Colin approached the stone. He eyed it with a curled lip, reaching out to touch it's top. "Don't tell me this is it."

"No, it's not," said Niall, folding his arms over his chest.

"Then what the fuck are we doing here?"

Niall was quiet for several seconds, not so much for dramatic effect as to gather himself. Then he walked right up to Colin. "You killed my son."

"We've been over this," Colin said.

"I'm not over it," Niall replied. "You want the Greywaren so fucking bad? Here." He stepped back and snapped his fingers. 

Vines sprouted up from the ground, like a time elapse clip from a nature show, twining up Colin's legs and stopping just above his knees. He looked down in a mildly interested way, testing their strength by trying—and failing—to lift his foot.

"Cute parlor trick," Greenmantle said. He was trying to play cool, but Niall caught the wariness in his voice. "Is this the best you can do, Lynch? Control  _plants_?"

"That's just to make sure you don't go anywhere," Niall said. "No, Colin, I can take stuff out of my dreams. And thanks to you, most of my dreams have been nightmares for the past two years."

The light around them was fading. Niall silently thanked Cabeswater for picking up his flare for the dramatic—or his desire to make Greenmantle piss himself, either way. In the silence of Greenmantle taking in what Niall had just said and running it around in his brain, something far off in the forest screamed. It wasn't a human scream, not quite, but close enough that even the hairs on the back of Niall's neck stood on end.

"What was that," Colin asked. He managed to sound fairly calm.

"Fuck you, that's what it is," Niall said.

Colin curled his lip. "So what is your big plan then? Leave me here for your nightmares to tear apart?"

"That's right," Niall said. "Give you a taste of your own medicine." He started to turn.

"It wasn't even me," Colin said. "You know that, right? It was Piper who shot him."

Niall turned. "Are you fucking mad? Are you seriously trying to hand over your wife in place of you?"

He did not expect Colin to smile so genuinely. "No, man, I'm  _warning_  you. I was absolutely responsible for your little brat's death, but you know where Piper is right now?"

"Yes," Niall said, unamused. "She's in a bloody cave. Or tryin' to get in one."

"And you know what's in that cave?"

"I'm sure I don't give a fuck," Niall said.

Colin laughed, but it was a nervous laugh, and he glanced over his shoulder as something in the woods screamed again, this time much closer than before. "You think your nightmares are in this forest, Lynch? You have no idea what's sleeping underground, what Piper's going after."

This gave Niall pause, not because he took Colin seriously, but because of what Gwenllian had said to him the other day:

_Be wary of what else sleeps underground, dreamer._

"You know what Piper is like," Colin continued, straining against the vines at his feet. "She's a goddamn loose cannon when she's on the warpath and that's exactly where she is right now. She fucking hates your guts, Lynch."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Niall asked impatiently.

"If you kill me there's going to be no stopping her."

Niall snorted. "Sure. From what you've told me your marriage isn't exactly a fairytale romance. Or a romance at all."

"No, of course not," Colin said. "But Piper doesn't like people breaking her things. She may not be romantic but she is possessive."

"You're just trying to talk your way out of this."

Colin's eyes widened a little in fury. "Of course I am! What? You think I  _want_  to get eaten by whatever the hell that is stomping its way over here?! What did you expect?? But that doesn't make what I'm saying any less true!"

"Goodybe, Colin," Niall said coolly, watching as the vines inched further up Greenmantle's body the more he struggled. Nearby a tree was knocked over with a loud crash. Niall smiled, then turned and started back the way he had come.

Then, behind him, Greenmantle called out, "It's your fucking kid, isn't it?! Ronan. He's the Greywaren."

Niall froze. So did everything else. The forest was once again silent, though he could hear his blood pounding in his ears. Slowly Niall turned around and walked back to Greenmantle, who was looking all too triumphant.

"What the fuck did you just say?" Niall whispered. 

"Ooooh I was right!" Colin hooted, bearing his teeth in a sneer. "I knew it! Well, I didn't, I was guessing, but your reaction just now tells me I'm not fucking wrong! Don't ever play poker, by the way, Lynch, you'd be terrible at it."

Niall let out a snarl and grabbed Colin by the shirt, shaking him as much as the vines still wound around him would allow. "I said what the  _fuck_  did you just say!"

" _I_  said that your kid Ronan is the Greywaren," Colin wheezed, still grinning. He had won this round and he knew it. "I've been trying and trying to think why you would announce that you have something like this and not want to show it to anyone, and why you would risk your life and your other family members lives to protect it... and then it hit me just now! Your stupid kid! And trust me, if I can figure that out, then Piper definitely can. Fuck, you're  _screwed_  if she gets her hands on—"

Niall punched him. He struck out once, and again, and again, until Colin was unconscious, blood running down his face, body slumped against the vines. Niall had remained silent the whole time, but when he stepped back he clenched his hands and let out a frustrated cry that sounded muffled in the still forest. Then he leaned over, shoulders heaving as he stared at Colin's limp form, now sprawled on the forest floor as the vines retracted.

A twig snapped to Niall's right. He turned and saw a great stag with flaming antlers standing a few feet away, its blank eyes taking in the scene before it.

"I wanted to leave him here," Niall said to it. "That was the plan. He's so desperate he thought I was actually gonna give him what he wanted. I was going to leave him here and let him be devoured by the nightmares I let loose."

The flames in the stag's antlers shifted, crackling. It did not move.

"Piper Greenmantle is going to wake the third sleeper," Niall said with a sigh.

A wind picked up.

_Greywaren_ _!_  said the trees.

"I fucking  _know_ ," Niall snarled, looking first upwards, then at the stag. "I get it, alright?! I know! He wasn't wrong, if I kill him she's going to be a holy terror. And I'm...I'm not a killer."

The stag blinked. It lowered its head, snuffling at the dry leaves on the ground in a surprisingly normal-stag-like-way, then lifted its head again.

"I need a fucking drink," Niall mumbled, rubbing his hand over his face. He cast the stag a sidelong glance. "Oy, Bambi, don't suppose you'll help me carry himself back to the car, will ya?"

The stag gave him a deeply offended snort, then turned and stalked back off into the underbrush.


	16. Chapter 16

Niall had spent the whole drive back to the Barns imagining what Seondeok's reaction would be when he told her about his impromptu change of plans, but none of those imaginings had included her simply accepting it.

"' _Okay_ '?" he said into the phone disbelievingly. "Just... ' _okay_ '?" He was sitting behind the wheel of the BMW still, parked in the driveway. In the back-seat Colin Greenmantle sat with his hands tied behind his back and a piece of duct tape over his mouth. He didn't look very pleased about either of these and kept kicking the back of the seat in front of him. Niall had thankfully had the forethought to put him behind the passenger side, but it was still obnoxious.

"Yes," Seondeok replied. "What else should I say?"

Niall rested his elbow against the door, gazing out the windshield into the cluttered garage. "Dunno, Seon, I just thought you'd be pissed at me."

"If I did not expect you to go off the plan then I would clearly not know you very well," Seondeok said. "What are you going to do with him?"

"I hadn't planned that far," Niall said, rubbing his chin and glancing in the rearview mirror at Greenmantle. "Stick him in the basement for the moment I think. I need to wait until everyone gets back above ground and then we can assess the situation. I tried callin' Mr. Gray but I couldn't get ahold of him so I assume somethin's happened."

Seondeok hummed thoughtfully. "All right. I will book my plane tickets."

"You think it's going to be that bad?" Niall asked.

"I do not know," Seondeok said. "And that is why I will come there."

***

Ronan and Blue were alone. They were underground, deep within the system of caves that ran from Cabeswater to Jesse Dittley's farm, and they were alone. The silence that surrounded them was so deep it made Ronan's ears hurt, though he could hear a steady  _rush-rush_ that he quickly identified as his own heartbeat. He tried very hard not to be afraid.

The ghost light slung over his shoulder lit the immense cavern they found themselves in—not as immense as the cave of bones where they had last seen Gansey, Adam, Calla and Gwenllian, but still immense. And before them, glinting darkly, was a mirror-smooth lake.

Something about the sight made Ronan's skin prickle. 

"Sargent?" he said.

Blue turned and looked at him. Her eyes were wide. Without saying anything she reached out, and Ronan moved closer until she could grab his arm, pressing close to his side. "I don't know if I like this very much," Blue said. 

"Yeah, well," Ronan said, but that was all he said. 

They both took a deep breath, then separated to approach the lake, Ronan holding the light higher as they neared its edge. He bent down, snatching up a small stone. Narrowing his eyes, he tossed it at the lake. It arched through the air... and then vanished. It didn't sink into the water, it  _vanished_ , dissolved, gone into thin air a hair's breadth above the surface.

Beside him, Blue shivered. "Well," she said, and took a few steps closer, peering down into the dark water. In her nervousness the Henrietta accent came on a little thick, adding an extra sound to the vowel.

The lake reminded Ronan of a giant scrying bowl. He realized that he did not want to look into the water, every inch of him was screaming not to do it, not to take any more steps forward, but he did anyway.

For a moment or two all Ronan saw at his feet was darkness. Then his straining eyes picked up a hint of something lighter, something floating just beneath the surface. He edged as close as he dared, lifting the light even higher to cast its eerie glow as far as it could.

Ronan couldn't stop himself from gasping out loud.

Declan's face appeared from the darkness beneath the surface of the water. His face, exactly the way it looked the last time Ronan had seen it at the funeral: eyes closed, lips closed, expression relaxed, his bangs combed carefully down to hide the ugly wound that the funeral home had done their very best to cover but couldn't quite make go away. 

It felt like an electric shock running all through Ronan's limbs. He always did his very best not to think about that day, or the one before it. He had never seen his father so broken as he had been then. Niall had never shed a tear in all of Ronan's life, he hadn't even cried when the police had come to their house to tell them what had happened, but at the funeral he hadn't been able to stop the tears and that, above all else, had shaken Ronan to his core.

For a second Ronan thought he was slipping too far into that memory, as in the background he could hear someone else crying quietly. But it wasn't a memory, it was Blue.

Forcing himself to look up from the face in the lake, Ronan saw her crouched by the water's edge, one hand extended as she leaned forward. "Blue!" Ronan shouted, dropping the ghost light as he lunged forward, grabbing her and throwing them both back from the water. They landed, wheezing, and Blue let out a pained sob.

"Let me go!" She shrieked. "Ronan! It's Mom she's--"

"Not real!" Ronan snarled, holding her tighter even as she struggled and found his ribs with her elbows a few times. "Blue, listen to me! That's not her, it's not real! I saw my brother in there and he's been dead for two years, it's just trying to freak us out, okay?"

Blue made another strangled sound as Ronan sat up, pulling her with him. She stopped fighting though and instead turned, burying her face in his shoulder and wrapping her arms around him, clutching at the back of his shirt.

"It's not real," Ronan said again, but he felt wetness on his own cheeks, and he held Blue just as tightly as she was holding onto him.

"What if she is dead somewhere else?" Blue moaned unhappily, her voice still muffled. 

"She's not," Ronan said.

Blue sat back then, wiping her hands over her eyes. "You don't know that."

She wasn't wrong.

"Listen," Ronan said, putting his hands on her arms. The ghost light still lay on the ground, giving them both an eerie, ghost-story underlighting. "Blue. Look at me. Don't do anything stupid, okay? Adam saw your mom further on in this creepy shithole, so whatever's waiting for us we have to go further... Once we figure out how to do that."

Blue nodded, looking around. The only thing besides the two of them and the massive lake was the skeleton of the Irish elk that Blue had ridden in on, standing motionless a few yards away. 

Just as the silence was starting to get uncomfortable, Blue stood up and approached the lake again.

"Sargent," Ronan barked, scrambling to grab the ghost light again and join her. Again he said, "Don't do anything stupid."

"It's like a giant scrying bowl," Blue said, giving voice to Ronan's unspoken observation earlier. "It's a scrying bowl, and I'm a mirror."

Ronan frowned. "...huh?"

But Blue didn't respond. Seconds dragged on, seconds of her just staring down at the water. Then she let out a breath. "It's only a few inches deep. When I put up my mental block I can see the bottom, and it's only a few inches deep. I'm going to walk across it."

"Seriously?" Ronan said, curling his lip, trying to hide overwhelming worry behind sarcasm.

"Seriously," Blue repeated, looking at him. The grief was gone from her face now, replaced by determination. "Not you though, if you try to touch the water you'll dissolve like that stone."

Ronan scoffed. "And you won't?"

"I won't," Blue confirmed. "I told you. I'm a mirror."

"Blue..."

"You said it yourself, we have to keep going. I have to keep going. If my mothers on the other side, Ronan, I have to get to her."

Ronan chewed his lip. He didn't like the idea of Blue going on by herself into the unknown. They were all supposed to stick together, but the two of them had already been separated from the others, it seemed like a bad idea to separate any further. Still, something in Blue's gaze told him that he wasn't going to be able to change her mind. Instead, he sighed and draped the ghost light around her shoulders.

Blue nodded. She took a deep breath, then hugged Ronan again, tightly. "Don't leave this shore," she said, standing on her tiptoes. "At least... wait a reasonable amount of time. I might come right back, I might not. Wait a little before leaving, but whatever you do don't come after me."

"Yeah I got it," Ronan said. He hugged her fiercely for a moment. "Don't get killed down there, maggot, okay? If you do I'll reverse haunt you."

"What?" Blue said, and despite everything she spluttered out a laugh as she stepped back. "That's not a thing, Lynch."

Ronan gave her a serious look. "I'll make it a thing."

"Sure," she said, humor fading too quickly.

"Seriously though," Ronan said. He reached out and flicked her shoulder. "Losing a sibling sucks. I don't want to do that again. You better come out of this alive."

For a moment Blue looked entirely baffled, and then her expression softened. "Oh, Ronan..."

"Shut up," Ronan said, but he cracked her a small grin. "Good luck, Sargent."

"Thanks," she said. "Catch you on the flip side." 

Ronan wrapped his arms around himself as Blue turned. She took a moment, seeming to steady herself before stepping out into the water.

She did not vanish. Just as she had said, the water seemed in actuality to only be a few inches deep, barely coming partway up her shoes. Ronan watched her walk a few paces out into it, then slowly turn around and look back at him. He lifted two fingers to his brow in a small salute. Blue nodded, turned around, and kept walking.

Darkness began to creep in as Blue took the ghost light further and further out into the lake. Whatever magic held this place must have been twisting the perspective of it because Blue as vanishing into the distance much quicker than he would have expected considering the actual speed with which she was moving. She did not look back at him again, and he watched her for as long as he possibly could.

And then there was just him and the darkness. A faint glow emanated from somewhere, but it only allowed Ronan to see faint outlines; he could make out the Irish elk's skeleton nearby, and the edge of the water, but that was it.

He dropped to a crouch, hugging his knees to his chest.

***

Ronan did not know exactly how long he waited for Blue. In the quiet and the dark he had no way of telling time, that is until he remembered the cave of ravens and what Gansey had suggested he do. And so, not long after Blue had disappeared across the lake, Ronan began to sing to himself, his voice quiet and muffled in the darkness:

_A gentleman was passing by a_ _nd_ _he asked for a drink as he was dry_

_At the well below the valley oh,_ _Green grows the lily Oh_

_White among the bushes oh_

It was one of those songs that sounded very pretty, though the lyrics themselves were unpleasant to say the least. Rather the story they told was. Ronan had been too young to understand it when he first heard it somewhere, but he'd figured it out eventually. Now it was the only song stuck in his brain as the thought about the strange dark water.

_My cup is full up to the brim, if I were to stoop I might fall in_

_At the well below the valley oh, green grows the lily oh,_

_White among the bushes, oh..._

And then from the direction of the lake he heard Blue shout, "Ronan?"

"Sargent?" Ronan shouted back, standing.

"I found her!" Blue called, and Ronan felt a little triumphant surge in his chest. "There's another way out! Can you manage to get out the way we came?"

Ronan hesitated. What if this wasn't Blue? What if this was some trick of the cave? He shook his head. Either way, he couldn't stand here forever. After a second he shouted back, "Yeah."

"Then go!"

"Really?"

"Yeah," Blue said. "There's no point if you can't cross."

Well that was that. Taking a deep breath, Ronan began shuffling towards the only shape he could really make out, the skeleton of the Irish elk.  He took his time walking over to it, the more paranoid part of his brain deathly afraid of accidentally falling into the lake though he had been sure to sit himself down a good ten yards or so from the water's edge.

He reached the skeleton faster than he had expected, outstretched hands encountering smooth bone.

Ronan wished he'd brought Chainsaw. He wished he'd brought his father. He wished he'd brought Adam.

"Suck it up, asshole," he told himself, and ran his hand over the elk's ribs, following the body down all the way to the creature's rear end. Patting one of the massive legbones he said, "And speaking of asses, yours must have been huge." 

He took a deep breath, sighing into the darkness. "Okay. Well. Here goes." 

Moving to stand with his back to the elk, Ronan stuck his hands out in front of him and began to edge along in a straight line, hoping against hope that he might be able to go back the way they had come, up the strange tunnel. Who knew how long it would take him to reach the others, but it would sure beat sitting alone on the shore for someone to come find him.

For a few minutes all there was were the sounds of Ronan's breath, and his feet shuffling along the floor. And then there came a whisper, no more than a light breeze, though the air remained still as a tomb:

_Greywaren_

"Shut up," Ronan said through clenched teeth. "I just want to get out of here, okay? Please?"

In response, something screamed. 

Ronan jumped, his heart thudding. It hadn't been a human scream, it couldn't have been. Animal maybe, though he'd never heard one cry out like that. Ronan turned his head in the direction of the scream and a sudden wind blew around him, rushing down what he hoped was the tunnel. Ronan snapped his eyes shut, and as he did he felt leaves and things blowing against his face.

He opened his eyes.

He was in a forest. Cabeswater, maybe? It had to be. Ronan was standing behind thick branches, but he could see through them to a clearing beyond. And in that clearing were his father and Colin Greenmantle.

Ronan opened his mouth to shout to his father but nothing came out. He didn't seem to have vocal chords. 

_Well shit,_ he thought.

Out in the clearing he saw his father suddenly rush at Greenmantle, who was apparently being restrained by vines wrapped tightly around his legs and body. Ronan took a few steps forward. He tried to reach up and part the leaves, but somehow he couldn't, so he just suck his face forward, peering out through them.

Greenmantle was saying something to Niall now, looking delighted as he did.

Niall reeled back and punched Greenmantle. He kept punching him until he was unconscious, and only then did Niall step back from him. 

Ronan moved forward again, finally making it out into the clearing. One of his feet snapped a twig, and Niall turned to look at him.

It was not the way Niall normally looked at Ronan. There was recognition in his eyes, but Ronan somehow got the feeling that whatever his father was seeing, it was not  _him_. He glanced down. A strange orange glow trembled over the ground around him.

"I wanted to leave him here," Niall said, still looking at Ronan-Not-Ronan. "That was the plan. He's so desperate he thought I was actually gonna give him what he wanted. I was going to leave him here and let him be devoured by the nightmares I let loose." 

Ronan continued to stare at him. He didn't move.

"Piper Greenmantle is going to wake the third sleeper," Niall said with a sigh. 

A wind picked up again.

_Greywaren_ _!_  it sighed.

Ronan squeezed his eyes shut.

When he opened them again, it was to complete darkness. Heart still pounding, he clenched and unclenched his hands a few times, glad that he seemed to have them back.

"Well  _shit_ ," he said aloud this time, and was glad to discover he had his ability to speak back too.

There was still nothing left to do but keep going.

***

Niall realized he did not want to keep Colin in the house, so he put him in one of the barns instead, one of the smaller, newer ones made out of vinyl siding and corrugated iron.  Niall untied him and locked him in there with a pitcher of water. Then Niall went back into the house, where he found Aurora unloading the dishwasher.

She straightened and looked at him. "What have you done?"

"Eh?" Niall glanced at her as he went to grab a beer from the fridge.

"My love." There was no softness in Aurora's voice this time. "What have you done?"

Niall popped the lid off the bottle and took a swig. "I didn't leave him to die. I couldn't. Greenmantle. So he's in one of the sheds until we figure out what to do with him. Or until his wife tries to pull some shite and we need to use him as leverage. But we won't know which it is until she and everyone else crawls their way out from underground again."

"That's not what I meant, what did you wake?" 

Niall stared at her, frowning. "Love, I didn't wake anything. Swear to God." 

She knew he would never lie to her, not in the least because Aurora would be able to tell instantly if he was.

"Someone did," Aurora said, and she turned away, gripping the edge of the sink, her brow furrowed, breathing heavily as though she were sick. "I can feel it. Something's so wrong, Niall. I don't feel well."

He set his beer down and crossed the kitchen, gently taking his wife by the waist. "My darling come lie down for a moment, just—"

But Aurora stiffened suddenly in his arms, her eyes widening as she pressed a hand to her mouth before turning and falling towards the sink, dry heaving then coughing. Niall let out a startled sound, keeping her upright with one hand and using his other to hold her hair back.

When she calmed again, Aurora leaned against him, trembling. "What have they done?" she whispered, pressing her face to his neck. "Niall, what have they done?"

Niall shook his head, wrapping an arm around her and looking at the sink. The white ceramic was splashed now with something black and viscous. For a moment he stared at it, before reaching over to turn on the tap.

What had they done indeed.

***

"Of course they're coming back," Gansey said. "They have to. I mean, unless they found another way out in which case...well I'd certainly hope they would let us know."

Adam glanced at him. Gansey was blatantly ignoring the least favorable option, which was of course that Blue and Ronan  _weren't_  coming back. The thought had been like a sore tooth for Adam over the past hour; he couldn't stop himself from poking at it no matter how much it hurt.

Gwenllian crept up behind him, her fingers dancing lightly against his shoulder to get his attention. "It burns doesn't it," she whispered. 

"It's not knowing that's the hardest," Adam said, stolidly. He did not take his gaze off the tunnel through which Ronan and Blue had disappeared. Ronan was such an idiot. Adam was furious with him for rushing off like that. And with Blue for the same reasons. They weren't supposed to be separated. "He shouldn't have run off."

Behind them Calla let out a snort. "Welcome to the wonderful world of having a boyfriend."

Gwenllian cackled at that. 

Adam turned his head and frowned at Calla. "Don't." When he looked back he saw Gwenllian standing at the entrance to the tunnel, her hands cupped around her mouth. "What are you doing?" Adam asked.

In response Gwenllian called, " _Greywaren_ _!"_ And then after a second called out again, " _Greywaren_ _!"_

"What are you doing?" Adam asked again, stepping forward and reaching for her arm. "Do you hear Ronan?"

"Ohhhh I feel a little tingle in the marrow of my bones!" Gwenllian said, wrapping her arms around herself and rubbing both arms as though cold. She looked at Adam with a wild expression. "What strange men they are, the Greywarens of this day!"

"No one's gonna disagree with you there," Adam said. "But you didn't answer my question."

"Yes, I did," Gwenllian protested. "I hear both of them in the veins of the earth, father and son, son and father. They call on things they do not know and then are surprised with the results! Fools, idiots." She laughed, then said in a sing-song tone, "Assholes, bastards and liars!"

Adam could feel frustration turning to fury again. "Ronan's not a liar," he said. "And he's not an idiot either. Not really. I think all things considered he's learned how to handle himself pretty damn quick, we all have."

Gwenllian watched him appraisingly. She pointed down into the pitch-black maw of the tunnel. "Then go find him, Magician."

"Adam," Gansey said at the same time that Calla said, "Watch it."

Adam stared at Gwenllian. "Do I have to?"

"It may make things go faster," Gwenllian said. "And in a moment, fast will not be fast enough."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Calla asked, getting to her feet. "Hey. Witchy-face. What is that supposed to mean? Is something going to happen?" 

Gwenllian just turned and smiled beatifically at her. "Something is always going to happen, and if it were not, you would be out of a job, seer!" She threw her head back, laughing.

Calla glared at her, then looked at Adam. Reluctantly she jerked her chin to indicate the tunnel. "I think we'd still better do as she says. Go see if you can pull your boyfriend out of there. Be careful."

Adam wasn't sure how much control he'd have over his own safety exactly, in the dark and the unknown like that, but he nodded and started into the tunnel, keeping his eyes on the ground for as long as he could see it. And when he could no longer see, which was faster than he would have liked, he held his hands out in front of him, fingers splayed.

He began to get the feeling he was not alone. He could hear movement, and breathing. Adam's voice stuck in his throat for a beat or two, but then he managed to call out, "Ronan?"

No reply. 

Adam stopped walking. It was so dark that he hadn't even noticed his eyes were closed. 

He opened them and saw two blank yellow eyes glowing at him through the darkness.

"Shit!" Adam gasped, stumbling backwards. His foot hit something and he fell—But at the last minute a hand shot out and grabbed his wrist.

"Parrish?!" Ronan said, hauling Adam to his feet. 

Adam grabbed at him, craning his neck to see into the darkness behind where he could feel Ronan was, but the glowing eyes were gone. "Jesus, Ronan," Adam wheezed. "I saw... I don't know if we're alone down here."

"You okay?" Ronan said, his voice rough as he gingerly felt Adam over. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for you, dumbass," Adam said, but he couldn't hide the relief from his voice. He felt for Ronan's face and kissed him, knowing then that this was Ronan, the real Ronan. "Where's Blue?"

"She found her mom, they're taking another way out."

From deep within the cave, back the way Ronan had come, there was a low, chest shaking rumble, like rocks falling. Both boys stood frozen and if they had been able to see each other's faces they would have been able to see the exact same look of wide eyed fear on each other's faces.

"I suppose," Ronan whispered, just loud enough for Adam to hear. "This probably isn't a good time to mention that despite previous evidence, tight spaces freak me out a little?"

Another boom and rumble, this time accompanied by a sharp sound that might have been a far-off gunshot.

"We need to go.  _Now_ ," Adam said, grabbing Ronan by the wrist and spinning around.

Running in the dark was worse than walking in it, because Adam had no time to worry about what they were running towards, or from, or through. At one point Ronan lost his footing and they both fell, and something scratched along Adam's cheek before he caught himself. When he reached out it felt unnervingly like a broken bone. 

But again, he didn't have time to worry because now they were beginning to feel dust falling on them from the ceiling. They got to their feet and took off running again.

The second the light came into view so did Calla and Gansey, standing just in the mouth of the tunnel. Gansey's eyes went wide when he saw Adam and Ronan. BEhind them something very large fell, shaking the ground and sending up a cloud of dust.

"We have to get out of here!" Ronan shouted.

Gansey's eyes moved wildly. "Ronan! Where's Blue?!"

"She's going out another way," Ronan said. "She's fine."

"How do you know that?!" Gansey asked, and he actually moved as though to launch himself down the tunnel, but Ronan grabbed him.

"You have to trust me, man!" Ronan snarled. "Come on, we need to get the fuck out of here, the cave's collapsing or something!"

There was no 'or something' about it, however. The cave  _was_  collapsing. Huge chunks of rock were beginning to fall out of the tunnel roof behind them. And so, without waiting for further argument, the five of them began sprinting back across the huge cavern of bones, all eyes fixed on the exit, feet flying, occasionally slipping, but never stopping.

They made it out just as an enormous section of the ceiling, large enough to smash one of Niall Lynch's barns flat, collapsed into the cave.

***

Ronan couldn't sleep. It had been a long day: he went along with Gansey, Adam and Blue to take Malory to the DC airport, and then after that everyone gathered at 300 Fox Way for a cookout, partially to celebrate Maura's return, partially to celebrate Persephone. Niall, Aurora and Matthew had come, and so had Mr. Gray. Gwenllian was there too though she mostly stayed in the tree, and Blue's mysterious father had also been there but he had stayed completely in the kitchen closet.

It had been very late when they all got back to the Barns, but here was Ronan, sprawled out next to Adam and as wide awake as Adam was fast asleep.

First of all there was Greenmantle. In the aftermath of the cave rescue as Ronan was thinking of it, his father had forgotten to make sure Greenmantle was as secure as he'd thought, and now Greenmantle was both gone and, apparently, knew what Ronan was. That in and of itself was enough to keep Ronan awake. 

He sat up. He got out of bed and went to the window, squinting down into the side yard until he saw a shadow the size of a large dog or a small horse pacing by the tree line.

Greenmantle had escaped, and Niall had set a pack of nightmares to guard the Barns. Ronan would have found this cool if he wasn't worried about what Greenmantle would do.

"Ronan?" Adam said drowsily from the bed.

"Sorry." Ronan walked back over and sat down. "I was just making sure Buttercup was still on her patrol route."

In the semi-darkness Adam gave Ronan a drowsy, bemused look. "You name your raven Chainsaw but your dad dreams up a literal monster hell-hound and you name her Buttercup?"

"I didn't name her, Mom did," Ronan said. "It makes sense. She likes butter."

"I don't think eating a whole cow is the same thing as liking butter, Ronan," Adam mumbled, lying back down and rolling over onto his side. "Now go back to sleep we've got school in the morning and I gotta get up early so we don't get yelled at for me sleeping in here."

Ronan sighed and looked back at the window once more, but then he settled down and wrapped an arm around Adam. "Night, Parrish."

Adam pressed back against him and murmured, "Sweet dreams."


	17. Chapter 17

The morning had started with a fight. Not a bad one, just Niall and Ronan bickering over breakfast about whether Ronan had to keep going to school now that Latin class wasn't happening anymore. The answer was yes, of course he did, though Ronan seemed to think otherwise. Talks of Latin class inevitably brought up mention of Greenmantle, which further soured the mood since Niall was upset about having lost him and Ronan was upset at his father for not having killed Greenmantle when he had the chance, and then Aurora was upset about the idea of any member of her family killing anyone at all and on and on until it was finally time for Adam, Ronan and Matthew to head in to town for school.

"It's his fucking fault," Ronan said as soon as they were on the county road headed towards Henrietta. "Greenmantle's on the loose, he knows about Cabeswater, and it's Dad's fault."

It wasn't that Adam didn't agree with Ronan. He wasn't going to even pretend to understand what Niall Lynch was plotting, or what he thought he would have been able to achieve with Greenmantle. But this warred greatly with Adam's general feeling of overwhelming gratitude towards Mr. Lynch, and so all he could do was hum in acknowledgement that he was listening to Ronan without committing himself to any stance. 

Twenty-five minutes later they were pulling into the Aglionby parking lot and up alongside the Pig, which was already waiting there, Gansey leaning against the driver's side door. Matthew barely waited for the car to come to a stop before he was barreling out and off in the direction of a group of his friends.  Adam and Ronan took their time.

"Good morning, gentlemen," Gansey said when they finally joined him. They all exchanged amicable fist bumps. "How go things?"

"Fine," Adam said. He looked at Ronan. Ronan looked at the furiously blue sky above, wrinkling his nose and hooking his thumbs under the strap of his messenger bag. Adam reached over and took Ronan by the elbow, steering him as they started down the path towards the science building. Looking at Gansey, Adam said, "Mr. Lynch wouldn't let Ronan drop out of school, so Ronan's pissed."

Gansey raised his eyebrows and tilted his chin down, giving Ronan the most skeptical look he was physically capable of giving.

"What?" Ronan growled without looking back at him.

"Did you really think your father was going to let you drop out of school just because you couldn't take your favorite class anymore?"

Ronan's lip curled. "No I thought he was going to let me drop out because Matt and I are in imminent danger by being here."

Gansey opened and closed his mouth, looking back at Adam. This, they both knew, was not actually that unfair a point; no one knew for sure where Greenmantle was, but Greenmantle knew where Ronan and Matthew went to school and he had an ever-growing list of reasons why he would want to cause them harm. 

"I assume your father knows you can protect yourself," Gansey said finally. "And he trust you to do so."

Ronan glanced at him finally. His expression turned more unpleasant. "You know what they say about 'assume', Dick. It makes an  _ass_ out of you and—"

"You're the only one being an ass right now, Ro," Adam said, and that shut Ronan up for the moment. Clearing his throat, Adam asked Gansey, "Alright, what's next for Glendower?"

"I want to go back into the Dittley cave," Gansey announced.

Both Adam and Ronan stopped and stared at him. At the moment, going back into the Dittley cave was right up there on the list of most risky behaviors, a list Gansey tended to not only avoid but more often than not actively shun. There was for starters the fact that the cave on Jesse Dittley's property had been, ever since they retrieved Gwenllian from it, the epicenter for all kinds of strange, magical creatures crawling up out of the ground. And for finishers Dittley himself had been shot dead by Piper Greenmantle at the cave's entrance, adding him to a list that included Ronan's brother of people Piper had murdered. 

"Seriously?" Ronan said.

"Serious as a heart attack," Gansey said, but he frowned a little. "You don't think it's a good idea?"

Ronan glanced at Adam. "I think it's a great idea, but it's also a little on the fucking insane side for you, man."

_"I_  think it's a terrible idea _,"_  Adam said, giving Ronan's arm a little shake. "Don't you think Gwenllian would have told us if her father was further in there? Why would she have us go into the cave of bones if we were on the right track?"

"I think she serves her own purposes," Gansey said. 

Adam's frown deepened. "It's a crime scene."

"Everywhere's a crime scene," Ronan said.

Gansey sighed. He lifted his eyebrows at Adam. "Does this mean you have a better idea?"

Adam's jaw tensed. His whole body tensed, like Gansey had just dug his finger into the large bruise on Adam's thigh from where he'd walked into the corner of a table the other day. He'd been trying to have ideas since they came out of the cave of bones; after the success of that venture, it felt like the group should be capable of anything. And yet they had no leads on Glendower, all they had was the threat of Greenmantle to worry about.

"Maybe we should talk to Artemis," he suggested, but even as he said it he knew it was not a better idea. Blue's strange, ancient father had, reportedly, shut himself in a closet at 300 Fox Way and not set foot outside of it since. He didn't talk much, but when he did Blue said it was less than helpful.

"Good luck getting him to talk back," Gansey said. A forlornness tugged at his expression now, drawing it up into something vaguely reminiscent of a mournful, renaissance saint. 

Across the yard someone shouted out, " _Whoop_ _whoop_ _Ganseyboy_ _!_ "

Adam watched Gansey's expression, but saw no change in it. "Hey," he said.

Gansey's focus snapped back. He turned to greet the other boy with his full-on Richard-Campbell-Gansey-III smile and before long two other rowing team members had joined them and the group of laughing, iconic Aglionby boys were walking down the path with Adam and Ronan trailing after them.

"What the hell are we even doing here," Ronan said. "Look at us. We're ruining this straight-rich-fuck-o aesthetic." 

Adam looked at Ronan out of the corner of his eye and smiled, just a little. "Right. What an asshole thing to do, huh?"

Ronan snorted, then let out a single laugh before slinging his arm around Adam's shoulders, holding him close as they continued on to class.

***

"He's in Boston."

Niall Lynch didn't exactly jump at the unexpected voice, but he did look up abruptly, setting down the pail of chicken feed and wiping the back of his hand over his forehead. Mr. Gray was leaning on the fence, watching Niall and the chickens who were making a bee line for the pail. Niall snatched the pail up again. "Are ya certain of that?" he said, walking over to the gate to carefully let himself out of the enclosure without letting any birds out with him.

"Yes," said Mr. Gray. "I highly doubt that he'll stay there for long but I have confirmation that he's gone back there for now to lick his wounds."

"That's something," Niall said. "Give us time to come up with a new plan."

Mr. Gray watched him. "Revenge is a dangerous motivator. Too many times I've seen it blow up in people's faces, or blind them, or both."

"They killed my son," Niall said. "Is it just Greenmantle in Boston or did  _she_  go back with him too."

"I don't know," said Mr. Gray. "She's been missing since the cave. It's possible she never even made it out of the cave."

Niall turned and started towards the nearest shed, clearly expecting the Gray Man to follow, which he did. "Possible isn't good enough," Niall said as they walked. "I need you to find out for certain where she is. She's got less of a personal issue with me but she was the one who pulled the trigger so she's also something to keep an eye out on. And I need you to do it sooner rather than later, can you manage that?" He turned, finally realizing the Gray Man had stopped and folded his arms over his chest. Niall held out his arms. "What?"

"I don't work for you, Mr. Lynch," said the Gray Man. "I don't really have any interest in doing so either."

"The Greenmantles are your problem as well," Niall said, a little colder now. 

"I haven't forgotten that," Mr. Gray said. "I'm just reminding you that as much as you want to play mob boss we're working  _together_ , here."

For a long moment the two men stared each other down. In his mud splattered jeans and worn black t-shirt, Niall Lynch looked more than capable of beating the ever-loving daylights out of Mr. Gray, especially with that wild, furious look in his eyes. But they both knew he wasn't going to do that. He just sucked his teeth and cast his gaze heavenward for a moment before stepping into the shed to put the pail away. 

"Fine," Niall said. "What next, then?"

"Next we need to find Piper Greenmantle."

Niall stared at him. "Are ya kidding me? Isn't that what I just fucking said?"

"No," Mr. Gray said. "You told me to find out where she is."

It was easy to see where Ronan had learned to scowl from. Niall rubbed his nose, then folded both arms over his chest. "You're going to really argue semantics right now?"

"I will always argue semantics," said Mr. Gray. "Now, since we are both acquainted with a house full of psychics, I would suggest that we start there."

***

It was still the middle of the afternoon when they arrived at 300 Fox Way, but the person who answered the door was Blue, looking even more cantankerous than usual as she stood there regarding the two men on her porch. "Hiya," she said, stepping aside to let them in.

"Aren't you supposed to be in school?" Niall asked as he stepped past her. 

"She is," said Maura Sargent, coming out of the reading room with a dust cloth in one hand and an annoyed expression on her face. "My daughter is turning into a juvenile delinquent, so any advice on how to parent one of those would be greatly appreciated."

"Well when you find someone who's got that advice I'd appreciate hearin' it as well," Niall said without missing a beat. He glanced at Blue. "Are ya playing hookie or did you get kicked out?"

Blue folded her arms over her chest, leaning against the wall. "Suspended. I emptied someone's backpack over the hood of his car. He was being a bastard."

"Probably deserved more than that, I'd reckon," Niall said.

Maura glared at him. "Don't encourage her. Now, did you two need something?"

"Yes," said Mr. Gray. "We need to find the whereabouts of Piper Greenmantle, I was hoping one of you ladies might be able to help out with that."

"I don't remember her following us out of the cave," Maura said slowly, her brow furrowing as she thought back. "It was collapsing basically right on our heels."

Mr. Gray exchanged a look with Niall. "You think she might be dead?"

"Might be," Maura said. "I wouldn't bet on it though. The third sleeper was down there as well and I have a much stronger feeling that Piper was able to get to it. I could try doing some readings to get you more specifics, but I can't guarantee that they'll work. The answer we could get would depend on a lot of things."

Niall nodded slowly. "Well, whatever you can do. The Greenmantles hurt my family once, I aim to make sure they don't do it again, and that they pay for the first time."

Maura's lips pursed at that and she sighed, but didn't disagree. After a moment she said quietly, "I  _can_  tell you that if Piper Greenmantle did manage to wake the third sleeper, it will be bad for us all, but it will be especially bad for your whole family. So be prepared for that."

Niall's expression hardened a little. "Oh I am."

***

That night Ronan dreamed about the time before Declan had died. Been killed. The time before Declan had been killed by Piper and Colin Greenmantle.

There they were, Ronan and Declan, standing in one of the barns that Niall had mostly cleared out to give them space to practice boxing. They were dressed for a workout too in muscle tees and basketball shorts, but Niall wasn't there and neither was Matthew, and Declan was pacing back and forth, hands behind his head, fingers laced together.

His pacing was making Ronan anxious.

"Dec," Ronan said, reaching out to grab his older brother's arm. "Cut it out."

Declan stopped, and he whirled to face Ronan. He looked annoyed. "Rules for dreamers, Ronan, did you forget them?!" he snapped. "Do you even care?"

"Of course I care!" Ronan said, though he didn't know why he sounded so sure of himself when he didn't have any idea what Declan was talking about. "Where's Dad?"

"You're a weapon," Declan said, advancing on Ronan. They were both the same height but he seemed to loom over Ronan now. "Dad's a weapon. Mom and Matt aren't human. And me? I'm  _dead_. What's the first rule for dreamers, Ronan? Answer me!"

Ronan tilted his chin up. The thing behind Declan that he'd at first thought was just one of the barn's support posts, he realized now was the trunk of a tree that stretched high above their heads to join with the other tops of trees. Dappled sunlight fell over them. Ronan could feel soft dirt beneath his bare feet and he curled his toes in it.

"Ronan!" Declan gave him a shove.

"Dreamers are weapons, I get it!" Ronan said, stumbling back then straightening. "Jesus!"

Declan's expression dissolved then, turning from anger into distress. His shoulders slumped. "Dad needs you, Ronan. Do you understand how bad it is?"

"Doesn't seem so bad," Ronan said. He sat on the ground, cross-legged, then leaned forward and buried his hands in the dirt. It felt warm, and safe, and smelled of rich earth. 

There was a raven watching him from a nearby rock. Not Chainsaw, this raven was bigger and meaner looking, and it didn't have any eyes. A smell like carrion wafted off of it. Ronan didn't like the bird and tried to burrow deeper into the soil. He could feel his roots spreading into the earth and this comforted him, becoming part of it.

"You need a dream buddy," Declan said. "Why are you out here alone? Didn't you pay attention to anything?"

Ronan was feeling warm and safe and didn't want to pay attention to Declan or to the eyeless raven who was now sitting on a closer rock. "Dad didn't tell me that."

"Dad's a liar. You need someone."

"I have someone."

"Liar liar!" squawked the raven.

Ronan glared at it. "Shut up," he snarled.

The raven couldn't glare back because it didn't have any eyes, but it did open its beak and let out an eerie clicking sound.

"Orphan girl?!" Ronan called. He tried to stand up but the dirt was up past his elbows now and his feet and legs were sinking in as well, holding him tight and fast. "Hey, Orphan Girl!"

And there she was, pushing her way out of the underbrush nearby, with her grubby sweater and her grubby little skull cap pulled down over her short blonde hair, and her strange goat legs. Orphan Girl bounded over to him, immediately crouching down and wrapping her little hands around Ronan's bicep, trying to pull his arm out of the ground.

"What're you doing?" Ronan asked.

The eyeless raven snapped at the girl and she shrieked, scuttling over to Ronan's other side, keeping him between her and the bird.

Had it gotten bigger? Had it gotten darker, or was it just the light above that was fading?

"Get up!" Orphan Girl wailed. "Greywaren! Kerah! You must get up!"

The soil was no longer friendly. It was cold and hard and dark, and when Ronan tried to pull himself out, shoulders straining, he found he could not. The light was most definitely fading now, or maybe the raven was absorbing it. 

Desperately, Ronan looked up at his dream-brother. "Declan, help me!"

Blood ran down Declan's face in a thick stream, dripping off his nose and lips and chin. His eyes were hazed over, gray and dead looking. He shook his head. Blood splattered his feet.

Pain seared Ronan's arm and he hissed, looking over to see that the raven had grown even larger and sprung forward to scrape open his shoulder with one talon. Ronan swore, trying to pull himself up again, but this just caused more pain. It felt like his arms would tear right out of their sockets before the black earth let him go.

"Help me!" Ronan said, looking up, but dream-Declan, dead-dream-Declan, continued to stare blankly at him. 

Ronan squeezed his eyes shut.

_I want to wake up_. 

_I want to wake_ _up_

He felt the Orphan Girl wrap her arms around his neck, shaking and sobbing, begging in Latin for him to take her away from here, that she hated this place.

_Please God,_ Ronan thought.  _Don't let me die in my dream._

***

Niall was jolted awake. At first he didn't know what had woken him, and then he realized that the hairs along his arms were standing on end, and that beside him Aurora had clearly been startled out of her sleep as well. She sat up too, looking first at the door, then at Niall with wide eyes. Around them the house was still and silent.

"I'll go check on the boys," Niall said, squeezing his wife's arm before getting to his feet.

They both knew what the jolt had been; someone had just drawn a massive amount of energy off the ley line.

Grabbing a t-shirt from the chair by the door, Niall pulled it on as he stepped out into the hall. Moonlight fell in through the window at the top of the stairs, lighting everything with a pale gray glow. For a moment he stood there, listening, trying to catch any sign that something was wrong, but other than his gut feeling, there was nothing. 

He stepped over to Matthew's room, nudging the door open and peaking inside. Matthew lay on his stomach, sprawled out, fast asleep. 

Next he moved to Ronan's door, pushed it open, stuck his head in. At first glance everything looked normal; the room was dark and still, there was Ronan on the bed. But Ronan's eyes were open, and he was lying there, perfectly still.

For just a split-second Niall's heart forgot how to beat.

He crossed over and sat on the bed.

"Ronan?" he said quietly, resting his hand on his son's shoulder and feeling the slow rise and fall of his chest. 

Chainsaw had come over as well, landing on Ronan's leg. She turned her head to the side, looking first at him, then at Niall.

"Jays, what did you bring back?" Niall asked, though when he glanced at Ronan's hands he saw they were empty. 

Ronan twitched. He turned his head, and then barely opening his mouth murmured, "Dad..."

Chainsaw suddenly puffed up, ducking her head and staring intently at the closet, making a little warning almost-growl. Niall couldn't suppress the shiver that ran through him. Could it be another night horror...?

"Sorry," Ronan whispered. He shifted on the bed now, pushing himself up, sluggish but once again in control of himself.

And then out of the closet stepped a small, frightened looking girl. She had blonde hair and almost too-large eyes, and at first Niall thought she was wearing some sort of fuzzy leggings until he realized that was just her legs, and they ended in dainty little hooves that made sharp sound as she took a few cautious steps closer to them.

"I'm sorry," Ronan said again, glancing at his father. "I didn't mean to. She's my... do you have a dream guide? Or uh... a psychopomp to help you?"

Niall couldn't take his eyes off the little girl, this tiny, magical being that his son had produced. "Aye, I did," he said. "And then I married her."

***

Breakfast the following morning was very strange. Not all together  _bad_ , but certainly strange. 

To no one's surprise, the minute Aurora had laid eyes on the dream girl she became instantly enamored, scooping Orphan Girl up in her arms and resting her against her hip and carrying her around to show her everything in the kitchen while the three teens watched from the table and Niall started breakfast. Finally Aurora sat down, keeping an arm around the Orphan Girl who was trying vainly to wriggle free.

"What's your name, sweetheart?" Aurora said in an attempt to get her to focus.

"I've been calling her Orphan Girl," Ronan said.

Aurora clicked her tongue. "Oh, Ronan, you can't call her that. That's not a name."

Ronan shrugged mightily. 

"To be fair, he named his raven Chainsaw, I don't think Ronan is all that good with names," Adam said.

"Hey, Chainsaw is a great name for a raven!" Ronan protested. 

Aurora set Orphan Girl more solidly in her lap, bouncing her gently. "Let's see what can we call you..."

Orphan Girl reached up and made a grab at the plate Niall was bringing over to the table, managing to seize a handful of still crackling bacon. Both Niall and Aurora let out very parental sounding gasps in response to this child-like creature grabbing very hot food, but the girl did not seem bothered or hurt, and simply shoved all of it into her mouth.

Ronan started laughing. Pretty soon Adam was laughing too, because Ronan's true laugh was an impossibly contagious one. 

"Jaysus Christ this is just what we need, eh," Niall complained as he set the rest of the bacon on the table well out of the girl's reach. "Another child."

"This  _is_  just what we need," Aurora said, trying to wipe the bacon grease off Orphan Girl's face without letting her eat the napkin, which she was trying to do. "I love children. I'm going to call her Opal."

Behind her back, Niall pointed a spatula threateningly at Ronan and shook his head before going back to his cooking.


	18. Chapter 18

Depending on where you began this story, it was about Niall Lynch.

There has always been the story of the troubled, unhappy child who learns that they have secret powers, a secret destiny, secret parents. Like most children who grew up in less than ideal circumstances Niall had spent a good deal of time praying to God that something would happen, that a wizard would show up to take him on an adventure, that his parents would reveal themselves to not be dead, would return and sweep him away to something better.

Niall did learn very early on that he was magic, but he soon learned too that if he was going to find a better life, he would have to make it for himself. He was less of a wizard and more of a fae creature, selling people tricks and lies in the guise of magical artifacts. 

Here, have this gold, but I won't tell you that it will be gone by morning. 

Here, have this son, but he will be dead before he turns twenty.

Wasn't that the usual price? Promise the evil sorcerer your first born, get something in return? 

Damn.

Damn it all.

Niall was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of his phone buzzing. He was sitting at the back of one of the barns, on an old chair with his feet propped up on an old desk, so worn and brittle in fact that when his phone started vibrating it made the whole thing shake.

"Jays…" Niall muttered, dropping his feet to the floor and grabbing his phone.  _Laumonier_ , said the phone. Niall held the phone to his ear. "Yeah?"

"Piper contacted us today," said Laumonier. "She had some interesting news. Greenmantle is in Boston and she is not."

Niall leaned forward, resting his elbow on the desk. "…didn't we know that?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"And she says she wants to work with us. Not you. Me."

"Work with you?" Niall said, lip curling a little. "You don't believe her, do you?"

Laumonier either coughed or scoffed. "Of course not. But she claims to have something that she is going to sell for a great deal of money, something that may even put your Greywaren to shame."

“Did she say what it is?” Niall asked.

“No,” said Laumonier.

Niall frowned. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end. He absently looked over the top of the desk, cluttered as it was with tools and old receipts and an old coffee tin full of nails and the sort of bric-a-brac that tended to pile up in old barns over the years. “So, what is she plannin’ on doing then?”

“She mentioned having an auction,” Laumonier said. “Down there in Henrietta. That would mean collectors from all over descending on your little haven.”

Descending, yes, and conveniently when Gansey’s mother would be having her little fundraiser at the school so they would blend in with all the legitimate visitors to the town. Niall rubbed his forehead, letting out a long sigh. “Damn I wish we knew what she was up to.”

“Welcome to my life,” Laumonier said with a bitter laugh. 

One of the receipts on the desk moved. Not like it had been caught by a breeze, like something was pushing it out of the way. Niall watched it, frowning, transfixed. Slowly something forced its way out from underneath the piece of paper, first a black head, followed by a long black and yellow body: a wasp, enormous, nearly two inches in length. 

“Cicada hawk,” Niall muttered, watching the thing walk slowly over the mess of papers. Gigantic, but far more frightening in appearance than behavior, really the only way to get stung was to grab one. Niall used a pamphlet to shoo the thing into flight and it shot away in terrified retreat towards the open door at the far end of the barn.

“Excuse me?” Laumonier said.

“Nothing,” Niall said, his focus zeroing back in on the conversation. “Listen, here’s what we have to do. We need to make sure no one shows up for Piper’s little auction, right? You lot, me and Seondeok need to make sure everyone else knows that just because Greenmantle’s turned tail and run don’t mean that Henrietta is a free-for-all. But let's try to do this in a way Piper won’t suspect we’re on to her.”

Laumonier was quiet for a long moment. “Very well. And what about what Piper is auctioning?”

“I’ll work on that. We’ll figure it out.”

“Very well,” Laumonier said again. “Until next time, Mr. Lynch.”

“You take care now,” Niall said with feigned cheer. He dropped the phone back to the desk with a sigh, rubbing his hands over his face. “I’m gettin' too old for this shite,” he muttered.

***

“ _BllluuuuUUUEEEE_ _! There are boys here for you!”_

If Blue had not heard her cousin’s voice ringing through the house she would have definitely heard the sounds of Aglionby boys in the front hall as she herself came in through the backdoor. Chewing her lip and frowning, Blue tramped down the hallway to find that Adam, Ronan, Gansey and Henry Cheng had just come in the front door. They were all of them in their Aglionby uniforms but at the same time looking as about un-Algionby as it was possible to be. Ronan was slouching, uniform rumpled, one arm around Adam who, as he had been lately, looked wild and alive like he never had before. Gansey had his overflowing notebook in one hand and was running his other through his hair so much that said hair was sticking up almost as impressively as that of Henry Cheng, who, as Blue joined them, was saying something to Ronan while gesticulating at the hand-painted but very neat sign he was holding.

“It’s about the  _principle_ ,” Henry was saying. 

Ronan snorted. “Please. The only principles you have are about the font in the school newspaper.”

“At least that’s something,” replied Henry, whose persistent cheerfulness was one of the few things immune to Ronan Lynch’s snarking. “What principles do you have, Lynch?”

“I have plenty,” Ronan said. “I don’t lie, for starters.”

“Ha!”

Adam caught Blue’s eye, then made a face as though to say, yes, they’ve been doing this all afternoon.

Blue cleared her throat loudly. “Hey guys.”

“Blue,” Gansey said, sounding delighted and relieved. “Hello. Sorry for dropping by unannounced.”

“That’s okay,” she said, looking around as the others settled down finally. “What’s up?”

Gansey stopped running his fingers through his hair. “We were wondering if we might talk to your father about a few things.”

“Sure, though good luck,” Blue said. “He doesn’t really like talking and he doesn’t really like coming out of the kitchen closet either. But you’re welcome to try.”

Turning, Blue led the whole group down the hall, past a door through which Orla was watching them with just a little too much interest, and into the kitchen. The back door was open and in it stood Gwenllian, a still lit cigarette in her fingers and a haughty expression on her face as she watched Blue and the boys. 

“Oh no,” Blue said, glaring at her. “You need to go right back outside, we need to talk to Artemus and you’ve caused enough trouble for today.”

Gwenllian cackled. “I don’t cause trouble, trouble causes me!” 

“What did she do?” Gansey asked, turning to Blue. 

“Noah was here,” Blue said, still glaring at Gwenllian. “But she wasn’t very nice to him.” Then, to Gwenllian she added, “Besides, Mom said no smoking in the house. So go.”

With a giggle and a little wave at the boys, Gwenllian spun around and flounced back outside, the door closing loudly behind her. 

“Wow,” said Henry. 

“Uh-uh,” said Blue. “Does anyone want something to drink?”

Gansey did not respond, as he had gone right over to the closet door and knocked on it before saying in his most presidential voice, “Excuse me, um, Artemus, sir, we were hoping we could speak with you a moment…”

Ronan, standing between Blue and Adam muttered, “Do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savior Owain Glendower?”

 Both of them stifled laughs and Gansey shot them a glare. 

A moment later, the door opened just a crack and Blue could see a thin sliver of her father’s face peeking out. He seemed to be sizing Gansey up. After another moment he shook his head. “No, thank you.” And with that he started to close the door, but Gansey’s hand shot out and he caught it before it could close all the way. 

"Ronan," Gansey said, and Ronan stepped over to help pull the door open. 

There was a flurry of movement inside, and the sound of something being knocked off the shelf. When the door was flung open and the light from the kitchen was allowed into the closet, they could all see that Artemus had pressed himself against the far back wall and was holding a broom like he was going to use it to defend himself from a sword attack. Blue was briefly and strangely reminded of the time she had cornered a possum in the back yard.

Gansey frowned. "We aren't going to hurt you. May I ask why you're hiding in the closet in the first place?"

Artemus gazed back out at them. He looked at each teen in turn, taking the longest with his daughter. Then his eyes darted to the right to watch Henry, who had crept up to the doorway of the closet and was watching him. 

"What are you?" Henry asked.

Ronan let out a quiet scoff. "God, Cheng, you can't just ask what someone is."

"He's one of Glendower's—" Gansey began, but he stopped because it was clear that Henry was ignoring him.

Artemus looked at Henry, then at Blue again. "You…know," he said.

Blue shook her head. "I really don't."

More silence. 

Gansey cleared his throat.

Slowly, Artemus slid down so he was sitting on the floor, arms resting on his bent knees. He dropped the broom, then put his head in his hands. "He… was not like other men."

"Glendower?" Gansey asked, crouching by the door.

"He could speak to things. Birds. Trees. He wanted the world to be a wild place. To be full of magic." He looked up, slowly, right at Gansey. "You are closer than you realize." And then, before anyone could stop him, Artemus scrambled out just enough to grab the door and pull it closed with a  _bang_  that shook the windows.

Everyone stared at the closed door.

Finally, Ronan gave Blue a slap on the back and said, "You know what I like most about your old man? How helpful he is."

***

That night, Adam couldn’t sleep. That seemed to be happening a lot lately. Perhaps, he thought, it was a holdover from when he had to work late shifts at the factory, and his body had not yet quite gotten used to this more regular schedule. Either way, he wasn’t content to just lie there when he could be doing something useful, so he got up, pulled on jeans and a t-shirt, thinking about the truck he was fixing for Mr. Lynch. 

The house was still and quiet. Matthew’s door was closed. Ronan’s was ajar, and Adam couldn’t stop himself from peeking in at his boyfriend with the brief hope that maybe Ronan was awake as well. But no, there he was, sprawled out on his bed, headphones on, lips parted. Adam was struck with a sudden and unexpected flare of affection at the sight, but after a moment he quietly closed the door the rest of the way and went downstairs.

The first floor was completely dark. Niall and Aurora must also be asleep. On the couch, Adam could see Opal curled up under the blanket Aurora had given her. Her eyes were open, and when Adam passed the doorway to the living room she turned her head to watch him with the same silent intensity as Chainsaw, who sat on the back of the couch like a silent guardian.

He grabbed a flashlight in the kitchen and pulled his shoes on before heading outside. The night was cool and clear. Stars burned in the inky sky and by the light of a nearly full moon Adam didn’t even need the flashlight, the Barns was laid out before him in black and silver and he headed for the large barn that had been turned into a mechanics shop for the time being. Insects chirped around him, somewhere an owl cried out. The night felt safe and alive around him.

Inside the barn Adam switched on the shop lights and got his tools out of the red tool chest and picked up where he had left off on the truck. He didn’t turn any music on, instead listening to the nighttime sounds from beyond the doors, which he left open. The wind picked up and the trees beyond the Lynch property seemed to whisper to him.

Adam had been working for just a little while when he became aware that something was... wrong. He stopped and sat up, frowning.

It was silent outside. The insects had stopped. So had the wind.  It was like the night was holding its breath.

Adam’s hand skittered out, away from him across the floor towards the wrench that lay beside him.

He looked down, staring at it, a sense of utter  _wrongness_ sending a repulsed shudder down his spine as he watched his own fingers, completely independent of his control, feel the length of the wrench, pressing against it, testing it. Horrified, Adam watched his fingers move, spider like, this way and that.

He yanked his hand back. He forced it to close. He held his wrist with his other hand.

Cabeswater?

Nothing, nothing. The silence outside was pressing on him, like both ears had now failed him.

_I will be your hands, I will be your eyes._

Was this real? What was real, now, especially?

“Adam?”

He looked up, sharply. There, in the doorway, stood Opal, like a toddler who had been woken in the middle of the night. She rubbed her eyes, then looked at him again.

Adam slowly let go of his wrist. He opened and closed his hand, then set it down on the floor again. It did not move. His fingers remained his own.

Opal walked over to him, then crouched nearby, wrapping her arms around herself and shivering despite her thick sweater.

“What’s wrong?” Adam asked.

“I’m frightened,” Opal whispered.

Adam moved instinctively closer to her, reaching out with his hand—hesitating, but no, still his—to rest it on her arm. “Why?”

But Opal just shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut.

“C’mon, let's get you back inside,” Adam said. He pushed himself up. He turned off the lights, then scooped Opal up, setting her on his hip as he headed slowly back to the house.

Around them the night was silent, that is until someone in the house screamed.

***

Ronan was dreaming. 

It was not a bad dream, not at first. He was riding in the passenger seat of one of the family cars. Declan was behind the wheel. They had been fighting over the music, but it wasn’t a real fight, and they were laughing. It was summer. The windows were open and a breeze was blowing through, ruffling Ronan’s hair. He rested his elbow on the open window and looked out at the highway rolling out before them.

Was this a dream? Or was this a memory?

Turning his head Ronan looked at the forest flashing by on either side of them.  _Cabeswater_. But was it? Or was it just a regular forest?

He looked out at the road again. The pavement was bleached bone white, the yellow lines sun-faded. It seemed to be getting brighter. Ronan reached up and flipped the sun visor down, but that did almost nothing. Heat made the whole scene outside the car ripple.

Suddenly with a squeal of tires the car veered off the road, and Ronan felt the steering wheel spinning under  _his_  hands, realizing with a startled jolt that he was the one driving, except that he had now lost control. The car ran into the ditch and hit something with a violent jolt. The steering wheel, burning hot under the blazing sun, hit Ronan’s chest.

“Shit,” he gasped, then turned to look at the passenger seat.

Declan sat there looking at him. There was a perfect, dark circle in the dead center of his forehead. As Ronan watched, something black and tar-like bubbled up then began to ooze from the wound, running in a thick line down the middle of Declan’s face.

“Dec!” Ronan said, unbuckling his belt and turning to see if there was anything they could use to cover the injury. “Shit, man, you’re--”

“Ronan,” Declan said, his voice a scared whisper. He reached out, hands clutching at the front of Ronan’s shirt. And when Ronan looked at him again he saw his brother was crying, except instead of tears it was more of that black, tarry substance rolling down his cheeks. Declan’s voice shook, breaking out in a near sob, “I’m frightened, Ronan, what's happening?! Where’s Dad?!”

Ronan shook his head, reaching up to put his fingers over Declan’s forehead. The black stuff was sticky and began to pour out even more, oozing between Ronan’s fingers, over the back of his hand, down his wrist and arm.

Declan fell backwards.

“Dec!” Ronan shouted.

His brother made a horrible, gasping, choking sound, convulsing against the car door, coughing, more of the black stuff flying from his mouth. His back was arching, body contorting in ways a human body shouldn’t move. Frantically Ronan reached behind himself, trying to open the car door but as soon as his fingers found the handle it burned his skin, and he jerked his hand back.

“Declan!” he shouted again.

Declan’s head snapped up. It was as though the black stuff too was now hot, it was melting his face away, leaving behind only a grinning, bleached white skull still dripping with blackness. “Un...maker...” croaked a voice.

“No,” Ronan shuddered, trying to scramble back. “No, no no no...”

“ _Unmaker_ ,” the Declan-thing snarled, sitting up again. “Unmaker, unmaker, UNMAKER!” 

It lunged for him, hands closing around Ronan’s jaw, forcing his mouth open, the monster bending over him, black tar dripping into Ronan’s mouth, over his tongue, choking him. He tried to heave it off, turning his head, spitting, terror clawing its way into the marrow of his bones.

“DAD!” Ronan shouted, sobbed, though he didn’t know why, his father wasn’t here. “ _DAD!”_

_***_

Niall sprang out of bed when he heard Ronan’s cries. He slammed the bedroom door open, running past a terrified Matthew and into Ronan’s bedroom. Hitting the switch so hard his hand stung, he threw himself onto the bed and pulled Ronan into his arms. “Ronan!” he shouted, slapping his son’s face. “Ronan wake up!”

Ronan’s eyes flew open, wide, staring blindly up past Niall at the ceiling. He wasn’t breathing. His mouth was open but he gasped, choking but frozen.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Niall hissed. He heard the others in the hall, footsteps as they too came running to the door.

Then with a tremendous shudder Ronan gasped again and this time finally filled his lungs, though a second later he leaned sideways, heaving once before he vomited onto the floor. 

Niall did not let go, holding his son until Ronan was finished and then pulling him against his chest.

Ronan was shaking, letting out shuddering sobs. “Dad,” he whispered. “Dad...”

“I’ve got ya,” Niall said, tightening his arms around him. “Catch your breath, you’re safe.”

“I’m not,” Ronan gasped, pressing his face to Niall’s shoulder. “We’re not safe, Dad, we’re not, something’s coming...”

From behind them Niall heard one of the other boys let out a startled sound, and then Adam said, “Mrs. Lynch? Are you okay?”

Niall turned around. Aurora was looking at him, her eyes wide, and from the corner of her eye something black dripped, running down her cheek like a dark tear.

“Niall,” she whispered, lifting shaking hands to her face. “I’m frightened.”


	19. Chapter 19

The following day was bright and hot. After the blazing nuclear sunlight of his dream the night before, this weather left Ronan feeling restless. It didn’t help that Aglionby was bustling with activity for Raven Day, and that even though he himself hadn’t signed up for usher duty, Adam and Gansey had, which meant that Ronan wound up standing with them by the auditorium doors anyway.

“I mean,” Gansey was saying in between passing out programs. “You and your mom are both OK right? That’s the most important thing.”

Ronan leaned back against the wall, his hands in his pockets. “Physically.” He glanced up. From the other side of the doors Adam kept shooting him worried looks. “Mom was pretty freaked out.”

“Does your dad have any idea what it is?” Gansey asked.

“Probably,” Ronan said. “He didn’t say though. He just sat with us and then disappeared later.”

The last of the students had trickled in and so the three of them stepped into the auditorium, closing the doors behind them. Ronan moved so he was between Gansey and Adam. Adam scooted a little closer, moving the remaining programs to his left hand so he could hook the pinky of his right hand through Ronan’s pinky. He didn’t say anything, but Ronan knew he was checking up on him.

“I’m okay, Parrish,” Ronan said.

Near the back of the auditorium, Henry Cheng was sitting with the Vancouver crowd. He turned around and when Gansey and Ronan spotted him, tapped the side of his nose then gave them a little wave.

Gansey, amused, waved back.

Still holding Adam’s hand, Ronan let his head tip back as Headmaster Childs began to talk about Raven Day. He didn’t want to be here. He didn’t want to be at school. He wanted to be home. He wanted to be with his father so he could make Niall tell him what was going on, because he was sure he had an idea. Opening his eyes again he scanned the auditorium for Matthew’s golden curls. After a minute he spotted him far to the left. As though sensing his older brother looking his way, Matthew turned and met his gaze.

He crossed his eyes and stuck his tongue out.

Ronan put his thumb to his nose and wiggled his fingers.

Matthew laughed.

Ronan’s chest hurt just a little bit less.

***

“The next time we see Noah I’m going to give him so much shit for this.”

Gansey rolled his eyes and punched Ronan in the arm. “Be nice.”

“No, man,” Ronan said, wrinkling his nose. The three of them had joined the flow of students heading out of the auditorium and onto the commons, where the juniors were passing out the seemingly hundreds of crafted ravens. “It’s his fault we have to sit through this shit every year. I can’t believe it.”

“It’s not that bad,” Gansey said.

Ronan looked at Adam, who had stopped and was pressing the tips of his fingers against his eye. Frowning, Ronan stopped too. “You okay?”

“I...uh, I think I’ve got something in my eye,” Adam said. “I’m gonna run to the bathroom. I’ll catch up with you guys.” And with that he turned and slipped back into the building.

Ronan watched him go, unable to shake the feeling that he should have gone with him. The sky overhead blazed fiery blue, and already the heat was making sweat prickle on the back of Ronan’s neck. He looked upwards, shielding his eyes with one hand and could see the dark shape of two birds careening above them, black splotches against that immeasurable sky.

Unmaker. Unmaker. Unmaker.

“Ronan?” Gansey said, quiet and close.

“You gonna do this shit?” Ronan asked, indicating with one thumb the raven warriors being passed out.

Gansey shook his head. “No, but I would like to walk around a little. C’mon.”

They started into the crowd. Ronan felt distinctly apart from the other students, even more than usual. As he looked at his classmates carrying around ravens made of paper mache and cardboard he thought vaguely that he should have brought Chainsaw. Thinking about Chainsaw made him think about the Orphan Girl—Opal, who was also back at the Barns under the watchful eye of Ronan’s mother.

His mother. What had happened to her while he was dreaming last night?

The Aglionby orchestra began to play, adding their loud music to the already discordant level of noise. Ronan found himself in a sea of people and ravens and sound and movement and heat. He felt suffocated, which made him think about the monster from his dream forcing his mouth open, forcing the black tar down his throat.

Something was wrong. He could feel a pounding in his veins that was not his own pulse.

“I’m gonna go find Adam,” Ronan said.

“Ronan--” Gansey started to call after him, but Ronan was already shouldering his way through the crowd, back towards the auditorium.

Just as he reached the doors however, Headmaster Childs stepped in front of him with a wide smile. “Mr. Lynch, I have to say I’m glad you decided to grace us with your presence. I assume we have Gansey to thank for that, ha ha!”

Ronan didn’t think he’d ever heard anyone so capable of pronouncing the syllables ‘ha ha’ when they laughed as Childs. He hated it.

“How are your parents? You know I was just talking to...”

It felt like someone had shoved cotton in Ronan’s ears. Childs’ voice, the band, the other students, everything drained away until all Ronan could hear was a muffled murmuring even though he was looking right at Childs’ moving mouth. Time seemed to slip, slowing for a moment, catching Ronan up in it.

The ley line tugged at him.

Turning his head, Ronan’s gaze was directed to the very center of the field of ravens. He could see Gansey back there, arms at his sides, staring up at the sky.

“Mr. Lynch?” Childs’ voice became audible again. He reached out and put a hand on Ronan’s shoulder. “Are you alright? You’ve gone white as a sheet. You need to be careful in this heat, proper hydration is important, you know...”

“I, uh...” Ronan knew with certainty now that something was happening and he _had_ to find Adam. Shrugging the headmaster’s hand off his shoulder, Ronan stepped around him. “I have to use the restroom, excuse me.”

The air inside the building was cooler, but it felt heavy too, and Ronan tugged at his tie as he headed towards the back and the staircase that led down to the lower levels where the bathrooms were. By the time he reached the stairs his tie hung loose, and he had undone the first button of his shirt too, but his heart still pounded and his breath came in little, short bursts.

Only a few of the sickly green fluorescent lights in the basement hall were lit, and the one at the far end near the bathrooms flickered ominously. A clock on the wall ticked. It was one of those huge, simple ones that hung in all the classrooms.

Ronan looked at it.

The clock read 6:21.

He started down the hall, rushing towards the door to the men’s room. Reaching out to push it open, however, Ronan jerked his hand back. The wood of the door had been... hot. Less like wood and more like plastic that had been left out in the sun too long.

He touched it again, hesitantly, then pushed it open.

Immediately the smell of Cabeswater blew around him; wet soil, leaves, decomposing plant matter, sunlight, rain. It disoriented Ronan completely. He could hear water running, hear it splashing around his feet as he stepped into the bathroom.

And then - “Ronan?” Adam’s voice.

Ronan looked around. It was just an old, musty bathroom. Water covered the floor, though, water pouring from the sink on which Adam currently sat, staring at Ronan with wide eyes. There was something fierce and wild about him again, like when he was scrying. He was breathing heavily.

“What the fuck happened in here?” Ronan asked. A few leaves floated in the water on the floor, still fresh and green.

Adam slid off the sink. He shut off the tap, then scooped some of the water from the sink to splash onto his face and the back of his neck.

“Hey,” Ronan said, when it became obvious Adam wasn’t going to respond. “Adam. You’re freaking me out. I said what the fuck happened?”

“Something’s attacking us,” Adam said without looking at him. Instead he looked up at the mirror, turning his head and pulling his left eyelid down a little. Then he hung his head. “Something... something was attacking me, and Cabeswater. Christ. It took so long to get here...”

Ronan strode over to him, pulling Adam away from the sink.

Unmaker. Unmaker.

“What are you talking about?” Ronan asked. He brushed Adam’s damp hair back from his forehead. His skin felt hot under Ronan’s fingers.

“I don’t know,” Adam whispered. He shook his head, then looked at Ronan. “I don’t know, but we have to do something. This is... this is really bad, Ronan.”

He didn’t have to tell Ronan that twice. Letting out a long breath, Ronan pulled Adam closer, hugging him fiercely and burying his face in his boyfriend’s shoulder.

Unmaker.

Unmaking.

***

That afternoon, Niall and Opal went to Cabeswater. Niall was not exactly sure what prompted him to visit the forest, nor what prompted him to bring Ronan’s little dream child along. Aurora had not protested verbally, but she had given him a worried look as he got ready to go.

All he knew was that something was very wrong.

At first glance the forest seemed unchanged. Stepping from the blazing sun and into the shadows of the trees, they felt the air become suddenly pleasant and gentle. Opal walked close to his side wearing, as usual, her knit jumper and skull cap. Her little hooves were bare, leaving strange tracks in the dirt beside Niall’s footprints. After they had walked only a few yards she reached up and took his hand.

Niall remembered another forest, another small hand slipping into his.

_Don’t think about him. Not here._

They kept walking. Birds sang. Wind rustled leaves. The further they walked, however, the dimmer the light became. Suddenly Opal stopped walking, pulling back on Niall’s hand when he tried to tug her along.

“Come on, love,” Niall said, looking down at her. “What’s the matter, eh?”

Opal let out a high-pitched keening noise, then flopped like a rag doll onto the ground. “I want to go!” she wailed.

Niall turned and crouched, lifting the little body without any difficulty at all. She turned in his arms, wriggling for a moment and kicking those little hooves, then abruptly wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him.

“ _Amabo te_ , _Greywaren_!” she cried.

“I’m not sure what that means,” Niall said, bouncing her gently and rubbing her back. “Can you tell me what the matter is?”

Opal turned, her little face contorted with worry. Keeping one arm around his neck she pointed further down the path with her other hand, shaking her head vehemently as he did.

“Alright, I’ll go look,” Niall said. “You can wait right here for me if you don’t--” But the minute he moved to set her down, the little creature began to sob, terrified, shaking, her fingers clutching at his shirt and he couldn’t do anything but pick her back up again and hug her tightly. “Hey there, now, it’s alright, I promise...”

Holding her tightly to him, he decided he would go just a little further. Opal continued to weep quietly, clutching at him and occasionally pleading, either in Latin or something... not quite Latin. Either way, Niall couldn’t understand anything other than the occasional ‘Greywaren.’

A few minutes later the path rounded a bend in the rock and dipped into a low gully. It widened there too, and at the very lowest point, right in the middle of the path rose an old tree, ancient and gnarled, but there was something wrong with it. The bark was black, not the dark brown of rot but true, utter black. It had no leaves, the twisting branches looking incredibly out of place against the deep green backdrop of the rest of the forest.

Opal fell silent, completely. Niall stepped closer to the tree. The bark appeared to be oozing sap, but the sap was even blacker than the tree, thick and oily. It reminded him of the black tears Aurora had shed the night before.

“What the hell is going on here,” Niall breathed, and against his shoulder, Opal shook her head.

***

Depending on where you began this story, it was about Henry Cheng.

Like many people, Henry had a complicated family. He had a mother and a father and three older brothers, but some time ago his mother had lost her mind for a year and the only member of the family who stayed by her side through it was Henry. His brothers thought he was crazy too, and his father tried, but his father’s trying took the form of giving Henry expensive things that he didn’t really need, like cars that he just kept wrecking because he wasn’t all that good a driver.

Henry and his mother understood each other. His mother never expected him to be anyone other than who he was, and he returned the favor.

Seondeok did not stay at Litchfield House when she came to visit, preferring instead to rent an expensive Air B&B across town, but Henry did not mind, both because he knew his mother would not be comfortable amongst a bunch of teenaged boys and also because it allowed him to still hold his annual toga party even though she was in Henrietta.

He was not sure what had brought his mother to town this time, it certainly wasn’t for Raven Day since she stayed as uninvolved with school things as she could save for putting in the occasional appearance at Parents’ Day. Therefore even though there was a party to set up for, Henry headed over to the house where she was staying as soon as he got done with school.

The house was a big old Victorian mansion, one of the few remaining ones in any decent sort of shape in Henrietta, complete with a turret and a luxurious wrap around porch. It was on this porch that Henry found his mother, sitting with her iPad balanced on one knee and enough tea things for two people set on the little table between her and the chair beside her.

“ _Umma,”_ Henry said with a smile as he climbed the front steps and walked over. “You knew I was coming.”

Seondeok rose from the chair just enough to kiss her son’s cheek. “More of a guess and a hope. How was school?”

“Oh, Raven Day was fun, classes were classes.” Henry dropped into the chair beside her, and Seondeok sat once more, turning to pour him a cup of tea. “You still haven’t told me what’s brought you here. Does it have something to do with whatever has Mr. Lynch worried?”

“What has Mr. Lynch worried?” Seondeok said without looking up.

Henry gave her a flat look, holding it until his mother was finally forced to look up at him and take it in.

“Have some tea,” Seondeok said, holding a cup out to him. “Some people that Mr. Lynch and I do business with are threatening to cause trouble. We are hoping to prevent that.”

“What kind of trouble? The same kind that got the elder Lynch brother killed?”

Seondeok did not look surprised. She knew Henry was more perceptive than he let on. She reached out and put her hand against the side of his face, using her thumb to brush one rebellious strand of his hair back from his forehead. “We are worried that it is, yes. Therefore, you and your friends must be careful.”

“Friends? Who told you I have friends?” Henry said, putting a hand to his chest and feigning shock.

His mother laughed, quietly, and Henry was inordinately pleased.

“I am always careful," he told her. Then, "Do you know what is happening?"

Seondeok was silent for a moment. Her head tipped back and she looked up, though she was not seeing the wood slat ceiling of the porch roof above her, she was seeing whatever it was she saw when she dug deep for answers. Each breath heaved through her body, and when she looked at Henry again, her face was drawn into a look of sadness. "It is dying," she whispered. "It is all dying."

***

When Ronan and Adam got back to the Barns that afternoon with Matthew they had no sooner stepped out of the car than Opal came charging over to them, grabbing Ronan's leg and refusing to let go. Looking up at the house Ronan saw his father sitting on the front steps, though after a moment Niall got up and walked down the path to them.

"Dad?" Ronan said, while Adam knelt to try and detach Opal from his leg. "What's going on? What happened?"

"Something's wrong with your forest," Niall said.

Ronan frowned, first at Adam, then at his father. "What?"

"Cabeswater," Niall said, as though Ronan might not know which forest he was referring to. "It's sick, or somethin's attacking it, we were there earlier…"

A chill started to creep in under Ronan's skin. He thought about the strange feeling that had overcome him at Raven Day. He thought about seeing Gansey standing in the middle of the crowd, dazed and transfixed. He thought about Adam in the basement. His dad was right; there was something very, very wrong.

"I'm going there," Ronan said, turning to open the car door again, and the door to the back seat too, though Opal did not seem to want to let go of his leg.

Niall stepped closer. "No, it's not safe, I don't know what the hell that is and I don't know what the hell it'll do to you…"

Ronan tried to pry Opal off his leg, but she let out a whimper and clung tighter. "Then what are we supposed to do?" he asked, frustrated.

"Scry," Adam said, standing once again. "Cabeswater's been trying to get in touch with me, I can scry and see if it tells us what we need to do."

"That sounds like a better plan to me than going back there," Niall said. "I don't really want either of you going near that place until we've figured out what's happening to it."

Ronan scowled at him. "It's my forest."

"Don't go thinking that," his father said, giving him a level look. "Just because you gave it physical form, just like I did back when I was a kid, doesn't mean it belongs to either of us. We don't know what Cabeswater really is. We don't know what it's capable of either, especially not when something's going wrong with it like this."

***

They went out onto the back porch to scry. Adam brought a large blue glass bowl that had been sitting in the china hutch in the dining room, and which he had filled with cran-apple juice from the kitchen. Outside twilight was already setting in, painting a low haze across the fields. The sun had set but a faint light lingered in the sky. Ronan and Adam sat cross-legged on the porch, while Niall sat on one of the chairs nearby with Opal in his lap, though she was fidgety and clearly uncomfortable about something, watching Adam with a look that could only be described as deeply concerned.

Adam waited for the juice in the bowl to settle, then he leaned over it, eyes sliding out of focus.

The breeze picked up a little, rustling through the dry grass. Ronan lifted his hand to rub the back of his neck, feeling the fine hairs there stand on end, just as goosebumps rose on his arms. He didn't think either had to do with the wind, either.

There was a tangible change in the air around them when Adam slipped into whatever state of mind he used to scry. It was like the electrified ozone feel of a thunderstorm, and for just a second Ronan forgot to be worried and was instead consumed with a sense of deep awe and admiration for his boyfriend's abilities.

Then the air changed again. Ronan's nostrils were suddenly filled with the smell of rot and decay, so strong he could taste it in the back of his throat like he had just bitten into a rotting apple. He had to fight not to gag. Looking up at his father he could tell from the look on Niall's face that he smelled it too, and in his arms Opal had gone rigid, her already large eyes as wide as saucers, as wide as the moon. When she saw Ronan looking at her she mouthed something that he didn't quite catch.

He looked back at Adam.

Adam's eyelids were drooping, his head starting to loll to the side, lips parting, expression going slack in a way that also felt incredibly wrong.

"Adam," Ronan said. " _Adam_." He reached across the scrying bowl and shook Adam's shoulder.

Adam jumped, blinking, and shook his head. He caught Ronan's gaze and did not look away. "It's…it's unmaking."

There was that word again.

Unmaker. Unmaker. It was the opposite of what he and his father did.

"Who is?" Ronan asked. "What is?"

Adam shook his head, pressing the heels of his palms against his eyes for just a moment, before he whispered, "Someone woke the third sleeper."

***

Niall did not want to sleep that night. He had not planned to sleep that night. He had, in fact, planned to sit up in his office all night but Aurora had eventually come downstairs and coaxed him to at least come up and lie down, and she was impossible to say no to. So for a while he had simply lay in their darkened bedroom, listening to the familiar sounds of the house settling around them, and the familiar sounds of his wife's breathing in the soft darkness.

It all felt very safe, very normal, comforting even, and before he could stop himself his eyelids had become heavy, and before he could resist it, sleep had taken him.

And, of course, the dream-space was all wrong.

Niall found himself walking in a burned forest beneath an impossibly blank white sky. The charred skeletons of dead trees rose around him, and when he brushed up against one several of its crooked branches simply crumbled and fell away. The ground was a pale grey layer of ash, and particles rose around him, defying gravity, floating up on the air.

"Dad?"

Niall whirled around. There, slowly approaching him was Ronan. His son wore a wary expression, one eyebrow raised as he stopped nearby, but keeping a few feet between them. Niall also raised his eyebrows. "Ronan?"

"Is this _you_ you?" Ronan asked. "Or am I dreaming you?"

"No, it's me," Niall said. Ronan didn't feel like a dream thing. He felt like Ronan. "I think we wound up in the same dream."

Ronan relaxed then and moved closer to him. "I wanted to see if I could protect Cabeswater, but I wound up here, I don't think this is going to do any good."

"Mmm," Niall murmured, looking around with a frown. "If it is the third sleeper, like Adam said, that's attacking Cabeswater, attacking us, we need to figure out what it—"

They both heard the sound of someone moving behind them, and when they turned they both froze.

"Dad? Ronan?"

"Declan," Niall said, and the sky darkened overhead.

_No, God, please, not this, I can't deal with this._

But even as he thought it Niall reached out to his son, and Declan walked over to them, and Niall touched his face, even knowing this was not him, this was not real, a dream, a memory… But he remembered too strongly, because there was that half-smile of Declan's, familiar, familiar.

"Why?" Niall murmured.

"Unmaker, unmaking," Declan said, and his voice echoed with another voice. He shook his head, looking first at Niall, then at Ronan. "You have to stop it."

"Dec, what is it?" Ronan asked. "What is the third sleeper, the unmaker?"

Declan looked pained for a moment. "A demon. Demon demon demon. She took _me_ and she brought _it_."

Niall opened his mouth, then closed it again, his lip curling, teeth gritting before he managed, "Piper Greenmantle. You're tellin' me she's the one doing this?"

"Come on, Dad," Declan said, and that was so familiar too that it nearly broke Niall's heart. The tone of his voice, the slight roll of his eyes, all of it, a perfect reproduction. "You've known it was her. You've known that."

This dream shadow was not wrong. Niall had known that. He knew too that they had to stop her.

A loud crack split the stillness.

The sky was jet black now, and the light came from the ground, from the white ash, like the ground and sky had been reversed, throwing everything into a nightmarish under-light. And then came the buzzing, like a hundred drones, like a thousand, million wasps heading their way.

And then Naill saw them. It reminded him of every depiction of the plague of locusts he had ever seen, except these things weren't famine causing plant eaters, they were destroying everything in their path, they were heading towards him and Ronan and Declan.

Unmaker. Unmaking.

"Shit," Niall breathed. "Run, _run_!"

The three of them started to run.

He did not know where they were running to, what he hoped to find, just that they had to get away from the swarm. Trees fell around them, leaving a barren landscape of destruction beneath the dark sky. Wails and moans rose up, the wind whipped ash in their face, Niall listened close for the sounds of Ronan's footsteps on the ground, to make sure he was still following.

And then, suddenly, without warning, there was Cabeswater, bright and green and alive before them, but Niall knew, the way one sometimes just knows in dreams, that entering the forest would mean waking up. That was the sanctuary that Cabeswater offered.

The swarm of wasps was closer now, and he could see that it was taking the shape of something, something big, and black, and monstrous, and all those wings were stirring up a hurricane of wind and ash. They were so loud the ground seemed to shake.

"Dad!" Ronan shouted, already nearly at the tree line.  "Come on!"

Niall did not come on. He was looking at Declan. Declan who had stopped so suddenly it was like he hit a brick wall, and now he was holding a hand out to Niall, his expression pleading.

"Dad!" he shouted too. "Dad don't leave me here!"

_Oh, God, no, not this_ , Niall thought.

Ronan swore. "Dad!" He was snarling now, and Niall felt him grab his arm. "Dad that's not him, Declan is _gone_ , he's dead, that's not him!"

"Dad, please!" Declan sobbed, and he was crying now, black tears leaving streaks down his cheeks.

(Unbidden Niall remembered the day they brought Declan home, and Aurora sitting with him in a chair in the nursery, the sunlight falling around them, how soft and rosy Declan's cheeks had looked, and Niall had crouched beside them, brushing his finger against his newborn son's cheek, and for the first time he had felt _right_.)

He started to reach back for Declan. Inches spanned between their fingertips. How easy it would be to bring Declan back. Why have this gift at all if you could not return lost things? He had brought Aurora out, and she was perfect, except for that Declan sized hole in her heart, and Niall could fix that, so easily.

"DAD!" Ronan's voice was near breaking and he was pulling on Niall's arm. "Dad you _can't bring him back_!"

Worst of all, Niall knew Ronan was right.

Declan let out a sob, falling to his knees, wrapping his arms around himself. "Dad don't leave me here!"

"I'm so sorry," Niall said, letting his hand fall, taking a step back to Ronan's side. "Declan, I'm so sorry. I love you. But this isn't you. You're dead."

"Dad!" Declan screamed at him, over the sound of the buzzing wasps.

Niall forced himself to turn away, to turn to his living son, the one he still had a chance to protect. To save. Behind them, Declan let out another cry that was equal parts pain and anger.

Niall closed his eyes. Together he and Ronan stepped into the living forest, and woke up.


	20. Chapter 20

Adam had been asleep, but he was jolted awake inexplicably to a dark and silent house. Still, something felt wrong, deeply wrong, like the abrupt pressure change before a storm. He sat up in bed, then had to clamp a hand over his mouth to keep himself from letting out a startled shout when he saw something sitting on the end of his bed.

But it was just Opal. The little girl was crouching next to his feet, using both hands to pull her hat down as hard as she could.

“Hey,” Adam whispered, once he had gotten over his initial shock. “Is everything okay?”

“Kerah,” Opal said quietly. It was Chainsaw’s name for Ronan, and sounded a little funny coming from these (roughly) human lips.

Adam frowned. “What about him? Is he okay? Is something wrong?”

But all Opal said again was, “Kerah,” as she looked at the door that now stood open to the dark hall, across which Adam could just barely make out the shape of Ronan’s door, ajar as always. 

Adam got out of bed. He crossed the hall and, more than a little worried about what he might find, pushed the door to Ronan’s room open.

Ronan was asleep, sprawled out on his back with one arm flung above his head, earphones on, the only sign that his sleep might not be as peaceful as it seemed being the faint crease on his brow. 

Sudden light filled the room, accompanied by a quiet buzzing. Disoriented for a moment, Adam blinked, looking around, then realized Ronan’s phone was going off where it sat on the nightstand. On the bed, Ronan rolled over, clearly used to ignoring it. Adam leaned over and saw that it was Gansey calling.

The clock read 6:21. 

No.

It read 2:38.

Adam grabbed the phone. “Gansey?” he said. “What’s wrong?”

On the bed Ronan started, then sat up, grumbling and frowning in Adam’s direction.

“It’s Blue,” Gansey said. He sounded exhausted and drained. “Something’s happened. We’re at the hospital.”

Adam felt the color drain from his face. He stepped over, turning and sitting on the edge of the bed. “Jesus, is she...?”

“She’ll be okay,” Gansey said. “She’s getting stitches. She almost lost her eye.”

“What?!” Adam said.

“Look... I know it’s the middle of the night, but could you guys...” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Adam said, glancing at Ronan and motioning for him to get up. “Give us like twenty minutes. We’ll be there.” 

As soon as Adam set the phone down Ronan said groggily, “What the fuck is going on tonight...”

“We need to go meet Gansey at the hospital,” Adam said, standing again. “Something happened to Blue.”

A noise from the door made them both turn. There stood Niall in his pajamas, looking like he’d also been startled awake. There was something else in his expression that Adam couldn’t quite figure out, however. He didn’t look angry, he looked...sad?

“Ronan,” he said. “Are you alright?”

Father and son gazed at each other for a long minute. Adam felt like they were having some secret conversation that he didn’t quite have the resources to figure out.

“Something happened to Sargent,” Ronan said eventually. “Gansey wants us to come meet them at the hospital.”

And to Adam’s complete surprise, Niall didn’t argue. He just gave a slow nod and said, “Right. Be careful. Drop us a text when you get there.”

Ronan looked surprised by this reaction too, but he nodded and stood up. “Yeah. I’ll let you know.”

Niall lingered a moment later, then turned and disappeared back into the hall.

“What the hell was that?” Adam asked, looking at Ronan.

But Ronan just shook his head. “I’ll tell you in the car.”

***

The hospital waiting room was garishly lit and almost completely empty when they arrived. In one corner sat Gansey, hunched over with his elbows on his knees, chin resting in his hands. His face was suspiciously puffy. Ronan walked right over to him, reaching down to prod the top of his head. “Hey, Dick, are you weeping?”

“It was Noah,” Gansey said, looking up at him.

Ronan let his hand fall. He blinked. He turned to look at Adam.

“What?” Adam said. “What was Noah?”

“We were at Cheng’s toga party,” Gansey said slowly. “But... No one was answering the phone, er, at 300 Fox Way, that is. So we went back and everything was... it was so strange... so  _wrong_ , you know? And then Noah was there but it wasn’t Noah, completely, he was, I’m not sure. Corrupted. He attacked Blue.”

Ronan let out a weary sigh, running his fingers through his hair then dropping into the seat beside Gansey. 

“He kept mentioning an... Unmaker,” Gansey said.

Ronan visibly stiffened.

“So Ronan and his dad have a weird shared dream at the exact same time that Noah gets possessed by something,” Adam said, frowning. “I really don’t like where this is heading.”

“Me neither,” Gansey said with a heavy sigh.

It was just then that the door to the hall opened and in came Maura Sargent and Blue, who now had a gauze pad tapped over her eye, which was a little swollen and red. As Maura went to the front desk to take care of Blue’s discharge papers, Blue walked over to the boys, looking surprised. 

“Ronan? Adam?” she said. “When did you guys get here?”

“Like a minute ago,” Adam said. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Blue said. “Had to get stitches. The doctor said I’ll probably have a scar. You guys didn’t have to come all the way out here...”

Ronan shrugged. “Sure we did. Someone had to keep an eye on your boyfriend for you.”

“Ha,” said Blue, reaching over to pat Gansey’s head reassuringly.

“Bet that scar’ll look sick on you,” Ronan added, touching a finger to his own brow. “People will start to believe you’re a badass finally.”

“People think I’m plenty badass,” Blue said. “But thanks, Lynch.”

Ronan offered up his fist and Blue bumped her own against it.

“Anyway,” Ronan said. “We know what’s doing this, kind of. We’ve pieced together that Piper Greenmantle woke the third sleeper, and it’s some kind of demon that’s trying to unmake... everything.”

Blue frowned, as much as she could frown with her current brow-and-forehead injury. “What does that mean though? Unmaking everything?”

“It’s the opposite of what Ronan and his father do.” This was Maura, as she had finished up at the front desk now and joined the teens in the corner of the waiting room. “Greywarens create things. This thing, whatever it is, un-creates. It destroys things. Maybe it even feeds off their energy, I don’t know.”

“That does not,” Gansey said slowly, “sound like something we want in the hands of people like the Greenmantles.”

“Hell no,” Ronan agreed. “But I’m not sure what to do about it.”

Now that they were all there, and that Blue was in front of him and clearly going to be fine, Gansey’s exhaustion showed in earnest. He barely stifled a yawn. “Me neither, but...God, I think that’ll have to wait until tomorrow. I’m beat.”

“C’mon,” Ronan said. “I’ll tell my dad we’re staying with you tonight.”

Gansey looked eternally grateful.

***

“Colin Greenmantle is dead,” said Laumonier in lieu of a normal greeting when Niall answered his phone the following morning.

This statement was so far from what Niall had been expecting by any stretch of the imagination that he just sat there with his mouth open, phone held to his ear for a full count of ten before he said, “Come again?”

“Greenmantle,” Laumonier repeated. “He is dead. We went to pay him a visit and found him dead. It was...”

“Disgusting,” said Laumonier in the background.

Jesus Christ. Niall pushed back from his desk so he could lean forward and rub his forehead. He felt so many mixed emotions at this revelation that his head was spinning. Colin Greenmantle was dead, this was worth celebrating, he was not dead by Niall’s hand which no doubt in retrospect would be a good thing since Niall didn’t  _really_ want to commit murder but oh that would have been so much more satisfying. He was so lost in his thoughts that it took a moment to realize Laumonier was still talking. “Sorry, sorry what was that?”

Laumonier clicked his tongue. “Wasps,” he said. “The coroner said he had been stung to death.”

“Wasps?” Niall repeated. “He was outside?”

“No, he was in his apartment, that is where we found him,” Laumonier said. “And there were no insects in there. The police are saying he was stung while outside then came back in but it does not seem right to us.”

No, of course not, because they both knew that wasps were not what had killed Colin Greenmantle, not really. It was whatever thing Piper had gotten her hands on.

“Right,” Niall said. “This changes things then. But here’s what we need to do: we need to make sure that the only people who make it to Piper’s little auction are you lot, me, and Seondeok. Who knows what she’s plannin’ but whether it’s a massacre or a recruitment I don’t think it’ll be wise to have a whole load of collectors present.”

“I do not even see why I need to be there,” Laumonier said.

“Because you’re her bloody father,” Niall said.

Laumonier snorted. “You think that means anything to her?”

“Who the fuck knows,” Niall said. “But we still need to outnumber her.”

“Fine,” said Laumonier. “We will be there.”

“Grand,” said Niall, before hanging up.

It was not ‘grand’. It was all a nightmare.

***

When Niall came out of his office and went down the hall to the kitchen he saw the back door open and could hear Aurora and Seondeok talking out on the porch. Slipping his phone into his pocket, he went to join them, finding the two women sitting together on the padded wicker loveseat drinking tea and looking out over the fields. Seondeok was unusually casual in a grey long-sleeved shirt and jeans—albeit a clearly expensive long-sleeved shirt and jeans. The two of them made such an interesting pair, he thought as he stepped out; both beautiful, with hidden strength simmering just below the surface, but each in her own distinct way. 

“I just spoke to Laumonier,” Niall said with a sigh, reluctant to break the peace of the afternoon. “Greenmantle is dead. Colin, that is, fuck knows where Piper is off to.”

Seondeok frowned, slightly. “Piper killed him.” 

It was hard to tell whether this was a question or an observation, but Niall nodded, walking over to lean against the porch rail, facing Seondeok and Aurora. “She woke the third sleeper, something tells me it’s nothing like that lady they’ve got staying at Fox Way. I’m not sure I need to know what it is, exactly, all I know is it’s causing problems and needs to be stopped.” He pursed his lips for a moment, remembering his not-quite dream, remembering the dream version of Declan calling the thing a demon.

“How can you stop it if you don’t know what it is?” Aurora said.

“Fair point,” Niall muttered, rubbing his jaw. Then he ran his fingers through his hair, letting out a sigh.

After a moment Aurora said, “We should take a walk. It’s such a lovely afternoon. Seon?” 

“Yes,” Seondeok said, turning to set her cup down.

Niall stepped forward, offering both his hands to the two women. Aurora laughed softly, letting herself be pulled to her feet. The second Seondeok grasped his hand, however, Niall felt her fingers tighten, and saw the look of intense concentration that crossed her face as she slowly rose.

“What is it?” he asked. It felt, briefly, as though sparks were running along his arm, though the sensation faded as soon as Seondeok let go of his hand.

She smiled tightly at him. “It is nothing.”

“You’re full of shite, you know that?” Niall said, and Aurora slapped his arm. Then he laughed, putting his arm around his wife’s shoulders as the three of them stepped off the porch and started slowly across the yard.

***

Just about the very last thing on Ronan’s mind was his birthday. It was not like he had anything against birthdays, there were just so many potentially-world-ending events threatening on the horizon he wasn’t thinking too much about cake and presents. Then, one morning a couple days after his strange dream and Blue’s trip to the hospital, Aurora came into the kitchen while Ronan and Adam were having breakfast and slapped a list of names down on the table beside her son. 

“You don’t hate any of these people, right?” Aurora asked.

“Uh,” Ronan looked at it, baffled. Blue. Gansey. Adam. Henry. The 300 Fox Way ladies. Mr. Gray. Henry and his mother. Looking up at Aurora again he slowly shook his head. “No? Mom?”

Aurora smiled. “Good.” She took the list again. “I think a party would be good for everyone, it’s still supposed to be nice outside for the next few weekends, I was thinking we could do a cookout? What do you think?”

Seeing Ronan still gaping with incomprehension, Adam kicked him under the table. “Your birthday, dumbass.” 

“Oh,” Ronan said. “ _Oh_. Yeah, no, that’s fine.”

Aurora clicked her tongue, turning to cup her son’s chin in one hand. “Did you forget?”

“Listen,” Ronan protested, making a face and tipping his head away. “I’ve had a lot going on.” 

As Aurora went to put the list on the fridge, Niall came in, followed closely by Matthew who took a seat at the table and poured himself a bowl of cereal, and Opal, who went over to the silverware drawer, took out a spoon and promptly bit a chunk out of it.

“Oh, sweetie, that’s not good for eating,” Aurora said, as though Opal had just tried to eat something that wasn’t solid metal. Taking the now headless spoon from Opal, Aurora scooped her up and set her on the chair between Adam and Niall. “Do you want cereal?”

Opal, chewing and swallowing whatever piece of spoon she’d managed to get away with, shook her head.

“Yeah you do,” Ronan said, pouring some of Matthew’s incredibly colorful and incredibly sugar-laden cereal out on the table in front of her.

Opal eyed it suspiciously, then began to carefully sort the pieces by color.

Shaking his head, Ronan looked at his father. “Hey, Dad, are you guys still trying to do something with that Greenmantle asshole?”

"Don’t swear at the breakfast table,” Niall said, going over to the counter to pour himself some tea.

Ronan waited, looking at him expectantly. “...Dad?”

“What?”

“You gonna answer my question or what?”

Niall hummed, making a noncommittal shrug.

Ronan groaned. “Dad, seriously?”

“Fine,” Niall said. “No, we’re not doing anything because he’s dead.”

“What?” said Adam and Ronan in unison.

“Aye, few days ago,” Niall said. “We’re fairly certain it's his wife that did it.”

Adam still looked baffled. “Piper? I thought she was here?”

“She is,” Niall said. “Well, we think. It’s hard to say where she is but we think she’s still here ‘cause she’s plannin’ on holding a get together.”

“Who is this we you keep talking about?” Ronan asked. “You and Seondeok?”

Niall gave him a look. “Don’t worry about it, aye? He's dead, and we’re taking care of the rest.”

“But--”

Ronan was interrupted by his mother, as Aurora cleared her throat and moved to stand with her arms folded over her chest. “Both of you, we’re not talking about things like this at the breakfast table, alright? This is not a good way to start the day. Let's talk about Ronan’s birthday party instead since that’s much nicer.”

“Aw, yeah!” Matthew said excitedly. “Ronan, what d’you want for your birthday?”

“Straight answers,” Ronan said, still looking at his father.

Aurora made a disgruntled noise, stepping over to put her hands on either side of his head and lean over to kiss his hair. “Hush about that for now, please, Ronan.”

“Fine,” Ronan said, slouching back in his chair. He let out a breath. “You don’t have to get me anything, okay, Matt? It’ll just be nice to hang out with people when there isn’t crazy shit going on.”

“Hmmmmm okay,” Matthew said, in the tone of voice that implied he was definitely still planning on getting Ronan something.

***

Adam understood Ronan’s surprise that his mother was thinking about birthday parties at a time like this, because it felt strange to him too. Not that he had many birthday parties in his life, but to do something so normal, so simple amidst all the chaos of the past year felt... weird. But not necessarily a bad weird. 

He would have believed, if someone told him, that Aurora had planned the weather as much as she had planned the rest of the party. That Saturday was a perfect October day with a bright, sky filled with puffy white clouds and a sun that turned to soft burnished gold in the afternoon. The temperature was right in that perfect spot between warm and cool, and there was just enough of a breeze to create a pleasant background shushing in the trees.

It was not a huge party by any means but still the house and backyard felt full in the same, good kind of way as 300 Fox Way, in the sort of way that Adam had never experienced in his own home growing up.

A little while after everyone had arrived and the party had gotten into its groove Adam stood on the back porch, leaning against one of the posts and looking out at the yard. Niall and Calla were standing by the grill, talking and keeping an eye on the food, beers in hand. Matthew and Henry were chasing Opal around the yard while Blue, Gansey and Orla looked on, laughing. Aurora, Seondeok, Maura and Jimi sat at the table-clothed picnic table with cups of wine, talking quietly. Music played from a portable speaker. Decorations hung from the trees and porch eaves, moving in the slight breeze. 

The back door opened behind Adam and Ronan walked past with a roll of tinfoil. He gently bopped Adam on the head with it before carrying it over to his father.

Adam remembered seeing things like this in the catalogues that came in the mail when he was a kid. But those pictures had always made him angry, because then it had seemed unrealistic, some fake reflection of life created to sell fleece vests and other fashionable autumn clothes. But this... he was a part of this. 

He was a  _part_  of this.

Realizing that Ronan was waving him over, Adam pulled himself off the porch column and jogged over to him. 

“Come with me,” Ronan said, holding his hand out.

Adam gave him a bemused look but took the offered hand, letting Ronan lead him away from the party, over to one of the equipment sheds just past the borders of the backyard area. The sounds of the party dimmed a little. 

Circling around to the back of the shed, Ronan scrambled up a pile of crates and hauled himself onto the roof, then peeked down at Adam. “Come on.”

“What are you doing?” Adam laughed, shaking his head, but he hauled himself up after his boyfriend, following Ronan over to the edge and sitting beside him. They could see out across the farm from here, the house and yard to one side, the rolling, misty fields dotted with cows to the other. 

For a second Ronan closed his eyes, tipping his head back. “Declan and I would hang out up here sometimes, when we were feeling like friends.”

“It’s nice,” Adam said. That immediately felt like a very lame observation, but he wasn’t sure what else he could say. 

“I thought about bringing him back,” Ronan said quietly. He lowered his head, turning to look at Adam in that raven-like way he had. “From the dream. I really, really thought about it, when he was begging Dad not to leave him.”

Adam chewed his lower lip. He wasn’t sure what he could say to this either. “It wouldn’t’ve been him.”

“No,” Ronan agreed, quietly, reluctantly. “It would’ve been this fake version of him, all the things me and Dad wanted him to be. And that wouldn’t have been fair. It would have been a lie.” And they both knew how Ronan felt about lying.

“I’m sorry, Ronan,” Adam said quietly.

Ronan shrugged, shaking his head, but he sniffed suspiciously. “You don’t need to be. It just hits me at weird times, you know? That he’s gone, I mean. Like when I’m doing something completely random like putting dishes away or whatever.”

Adam nodded. He reached out, then put his hand against Ronan’s hair, rubbing his thumb against Ronan’s temple.

Ronan leaned into his touch, then let out a quiet laugh. “What’re you doing?”

“I dunno,” Adam said, smiling a little. “I just like being able to touch you. It’s nice.”

“Weirdo,” Ronan said, but affectionately.

“Your weirdo,” Adam said, then, laughing, added, “God, that was mushy.”

“Bleh,” Ronan agreed, but he was laughing too, and the afternoon light falling across his face turned his eyes the same color as the sky.  Leaning over, Ronan wrapped an arm around Adam, resting his hand against one side of Adam’s head and his own head against the other, holding Adam close, surrounding him, and then, after a moment, with his lips close to Adam’s ear he said quietly, “I love you, you know.”

Adam felt his heart stop.

But, like, in a good way.

***

The other teens stayed at the Barns after the visiting adults had gone home, and then, long after the sun had set, they all lay out on the back lawn looking up at the stars. Henry had his head on Blue’s stomach and she had her head on Gansey’s, the three of them making a funny little zig-zag next to Adam and Ronan who both lay with one arm folded behind their head, their other hands clasped on the grass between them. 

The sky above was vast, the stars scattered like someone had poured them out of a bag into the inky blackness.

“This always makes me feel very small,” Gansey said after a while.

Henry shifted. “Really? It always makes me feel...infinite.” 

“I feel small enough when I’m not looking at the stars,” Blue said, making Ronan laugh. 

Gansey lifted his hands, spreading his fingers as though trying to press his palms against the heavens. “It’s not a bad kind of small. It’s a safe kind. Like the whole universe is wrapping around me and I don’t need to worry.”

Ronan laughed again. “Sargent, you sure Orla didn’t put something in those brownies earlier?”

Adam elbowed him in the ribs. “Weren’t you heating up milk for hot cocoa?”

“Yeah,” Ronan pushed himself up, squeezing Adam’s hand before letting go. “Anyone wanna give me a hand bringing that out?”

Blue and Henry both got up and followed him into the house, leaving Adam and Gansey alone outside.

Gansey pushed himself up onto his elbows and looked over at Adam. “You’ve been kind of quiet, everything okay?”

“Yeah.” Adam sat up as well, crossing his legs and brushing grass off the back of his head. He hesitated for a moment or two then said, “Ronan told me he loves me.”

“Oh,” Gansey said. He gave Adam a lopsided smile. “I’m not surprised.”

Adam frowned down at his hands. “I couldn’t say it back.”

Gansey was silent for just a second too long, then he said quickly, “But you do, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” Adam said. “He’s amazing and my best friend and I never even dreamed—but I couldn’t say it I just kinda made out with him instead.”

“I mean,” Gansey said, laughing. “I think that probably got the point across.”

“Gansey,” Adam said, scrunching up his face.

“Seriously though,” Gansey said. “Ronan gets it. You guys are nuts about each other and he knows that.” 

Adam chewed on his thumbnail for a moment, then said, “I dunno if I’ve ever said it to someone before.” Then he held up his hand to stop Gansey from saying whatever sympathetic platitude he was no doubt going to say. “Don’t. I know. I’m just saying.”

“Okay,” Gansey said. Then, “You don’t  _need_  to say it. Ronan knows. And you’ve helped him so much...”

“He helped me too,” Adam said.

The back door opened with a bang as the other three came back out with five steaming earthenware mugs. 

“Hey, nerds, come get some fucking hot chocolate,” Ronan said. “Hot fucking chocolate? Whatever. Someone come take this extra cup from me before I burn my hands.”

Adam stood, rolling his eyes and went to take a cup from Ronan.

He would say it eventually. He knew he would.


	21. Chapter 21

It was a dark, muggy day that felt like death and belonged more in the depths of summer than this time of year, but it came all the same, dropping low from the mountains and leaving everything with a faintly slimy feeling. The boys were all in town, Matthew with his friends, Ronan and Adam as usual chasing that king with Gansey and the others. Aurora was inside, and Niall was out in the back working through the endless list of chores that greeted him every day rain or shine. 

He had just carried a bale of hay into one of the barns, wearing the thick work gloves that made his hands sweat, when he heard someone behind him clear their throat, the way people did when they wanted to be noticed.

Niall turned around.

There, standing in the gaping doorway of the barn, back lit by the eerie fall day outside, was Piper Greenmantle. She was dressed in white jeans and a white turtleneck, cut in half with a dark belt. Her lips and nails were black. 

_Demon._

“Niall Lynch,” she said, showing her artificially whitened teeth in a taunting smile. In one hand she held a cup of iced coffee from Starbucks and, still grinning, she bit the end of the straw.

Niall did not take his eyes off her. He removed one glove, then the other, then took a slow step forward. Curling his lip he snarled, “You’re fucking trespassing, you Hell-born, motherfucking, rabid cun—”

“Oooh,  _language_ ,” Piper said. “What is it with you Irish people and swearing? Jesus. Bee-tee-dubs, you know I’m not actually here, right? This is like a projection or whatever.”

“Lucky for you then,” Niall said. “'Cause there’s at least ten tools in my near vicinity I could use to disembowel you.”

Piper took a long, noisy sip of her coffee. Thunder rumbled somewhere and she flickered, like the image on an old TV when the tuning wasn't quite right. “You know what you need?” she said. “A goddamn therapist.”

“The fuck do you want?” Niall said. “Or are you here to kill me like you killed your husband?” 

_And my son. You killed my son._ _There aren’t enough curse words in the universe for you._

“That depends,” Piper said. “You see, I’m trying to do business, but it’s really hard to do business when people like you and Seondeok and my daddy dearest are talking shit about you behind your back.”

“Talking shit?!” Niall said with a disbelieving laugh. “You want to do business you should have thought of that before you murdered my son!” He shouted the last bit, anger tearing into his words, but Piper didn’t so much as flinch.

“And you should have thought about your son before you decided to do business,” Piper said. “You notice how I don’t have kids? I’m not that selfish. At least,” she paused to laugh, “I’m not selfish like  _that_. I know I’m pretty selfish in general. But, whatever, neither of us have any sort of moral high ground here, that’s not why I came.”

“Then why  _are_  you here?” Niall said, lip curling. “I’m just dying to know.”

Piper laughed. “To teach you a lesson,  _duh_. See I might not physically be present, but a little helper of mine is...”

She trailed off, and there was a beat of absolute silence before, from the direction of the house, Niall heard Aurora scream.

“Have fun with that,” Piper said, laughing as she stepped back into the rising wind and vanished.

***

Gansey seemed restless. He seemed uncomfortable. He seemed more anxious than usual and none of them thought it had anything to do with the upcoming dinner with his parents that he was, apparently, dragging Blue and Henry to, or with his mother’s fundraiser, or any of those normal world things that felt like they were happening in a distant orbit somewhere beyond the world they existed in now.

Five teens plus one dream-child left the kitchen of 300 Fox Way feeling crowded and busy, even though no one was moving around, not even Opal, who instead was sitting in the corner with Chainsaw, both of them tearing through the contents of the recycling bin. Blue and Henry were perched on the counter beside the sink, eating yogurt, and Gansey, Ronan and Adam sat at the table. 

Gansey had his elbows on the tabletop and was pushing his thumb against his lower lip with such veracity that Ronan might have laughed at the way it smooshed his face around, except that Gansey’s eyes were unfocused and far away. Adam had Gansey’s notebook and was flipping through it, but in a disinterested way that told Ronan he wasn’t finding anything interesting in there.

A loud shriek of either distress or annoyance echoed from somewhere else in the house.

“Jesus Christ,” Gansey said, as the sound shook even him from his trance.

Ronan turned in his seat. “What the fuck was that?”

“Gwenllian,” Blue said, rolling her eyes and getting up to set her now empty-except-for-fruit yogurt cup in front of Gansey. 

Ronan turned back to watch her. “Why don’t you just get yogurt that doesn’t have fruit in it?”

“I like a challenge,” Blue said.

There was a tremendous thundering on the stairs and a moment later Gwenllian burst into the kitchen. She grabbed onto the doorframe, hanging on it and looking at the teens with wide eyes. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes were mis-matched, but of course none of that was unusual for her.

“Is everything alright?” Gansey asked, calm-as-you please. 

“Artemus,” Gwenllian gasped, then cried louder, “ _ARRRRRTEMUS_ _!”_ She gave the R a generous roll, swinging herself around to the closet and hammering on the door with both fists, then kicking it for good measure. “Come OUT! Oh—Come out you  _coward_!” Keening miserably she grabbed the doorknob, yanking on it, but Artemus must have used something to brace it from the inside. Hammering on the door again, Gwenllian wailed, “Unmade! Mother! MOTHER! Oh you  _coward_  you killed them you let them go-oh-oh!”

“Hey!” Blue shouted, jumping over and grabbing at the much, much taller woman. "Cut that out!”

Gwenllian hissed like a cat, shaking Blue off, then whirling to shake a finger at her. “Your father is a coward! A rabbit! A fox! A coward! He knows! He knows the  _unmaking_...”

“GO! AWAY!” Artemus bellowed from the other side of the door, with far more volume and force than any of them had thought him capable of. “I am done with this, not today, not this century! Good bye!” 

Gwenllian snarled, grabbing the blender that Orla had left sitting on the counter and throwing the whole appliance at the door. It collided with a great crash and the weak laminate of the door cracked, nearly all the way from bottom to top. Several people let out startled shouts, and Opal let out a wail, grabbing Chainsaw and running over to clamber into Adam’s lap, which made him yelp as her hooves hit a few less than ideal places.

“What in the hell is going on in here?!” Calla roared as she, Maura and Jimi appeared in the doorway.

“Do you know what happened to my mother, mother mother dear?!” Gwenllian shrieked at the closet door. She shrieked and slammed her shoulder against it. The crack widened. She stepped back, pointing an accusing finger at the door. “He was the voice that whisperrrrrrrred in my father’s ear! Now he is a coward, he was always a coward! Artemussss!” 

She slammed the door again and this time it broke, shattering off its hinges. 

“Door’s don’t grow on trees!” Maura shouted.

“Trees!” Gwenllian cackled. “Yes, trees, trees, you know trees, don’t you Artemus, cowardice, treeeees!” 

Artemus had pushed himself far back into the closet, hunched down between bags and boxes. He brought his hands up to shield his face, as though the light from the kitchen was blinding to him. Gwenllian let out a triumphant cry and stepped forward, grabbing his arm and his hair and dragging him out of the closet.

“What are you doing?!” Blue shouted, grabbing Gwenllian’s arm again, this time throwing her whole weight into it.

“Don’t you want to know, Blue lily?” Gwenllian cooed, trying to shake her off. “He can tell us, he knows, he won’t say! He knows what this is!”

Ronan had gotten to his feet as well and he circled around so he could see Artemus’ face. The man looked exhausted, not angry, but resigned to his fate now that he had been dragged out of his hiding place. “You know what the unmaker is?” Ronan asked. “The third sleeper?”

“You are in danger, raven prince!” Gwenllian said. “It will eat you up! It will eat your father father, your father dear, and your mother too, and all your little dreams and it will eat your mind from the inside out!”

“How do we stop it?” Ronan asked, trying hard to not shiver despite the coldness that was seeping into his core at her words. 

“Tell us tell us tell us,” Gwenllian chanted, shaking Artemus.

Unfortunately, her grip slackened with the movement, just enough for him to twist away, though he did leave a few black hairs caught between her fingers. He didn’t waste any time then, pushing to his feet and sprinting out the back door. The entire population of the kitchen followed him, Gwenllian trying to grab him, everyone pushing and elbowing. 

By the time they got out to the backyard, the scene was bizarre and impossible: there was Artemus, scrambling into the branches of the tree, shouting out a word none of the people present could translate but sounded like a plea for help. Standing below, looking up at him...was Noah. 

The ley line heaved. The sky darkened. The beech tree shivered and rattled, raining leaves down on Gwenllian as she tried to climb after Artemus but the tree was  _moving_ , roots stirring under the grass, branches shifting, arching out of reach of Gwenllian’s questing hands. 

“What!” Blue gasped. 

Noah pointed up at Artemus. Or... where Artemus had been a moment ago. “He’s in the tree!”

And then there was silence. Artemus had been there, and then he had not, but they all got the feeling that he hadn’t left, not really. 

Gwenllian put both hands on top of her head and turned to look at the others with wide eyes. “Oh shit!” she said.

***

Niall ran. 

Overhead the sky was turning black, but the thunder was still far off. The air smelled of dead leaves, heavy and damp, and of rain, drowning. Niall’s lungs burned as he bolted back across the field, slipping, falling once and coming right back up again. 

As he came in sight of the house the back door burst open and out came Aurora, holding her skirt as she ran, bare foot, across the lawn to meet him. 

When she got closer he saw she was bleeding, from both a gash on her cheek and her nose. It looked like something had thrown her to the ground or into a wall. Niall caught her, pushing her behind him.

The next thing through the door was far too big for the frame, smashing a slightly-larger-than-before hole as it hurdled out onto the porch then into the yard. It was a dog. It was a person. It was an insect. It was impossible to look at for more than two seconds at a time.

_Demon. Demon_.

Niall stuck his hand into his pocket and removed a single key. Not taking his eyes off the demon, he held the key back over his shoulder. “ ‘Rora I need you to go let them out. Do you understand?” He wanted to look at her, but he didn’t trust that the  _thing_ would continue to stay still, it’s…face? turned up to the wind. 

“Yes,” Aurora whispered, taking the key from him. She sounded terrified. 

“I love you,” Niall said. His voice felt thick in his throat. “Go quickly.”

For a second nothing, then he heard her take off running. With a strange roar the demon took after her. Niall tried to grab it as it passed him, but his hands first slid through its substance like smoke, and then there was a great jolt like he had stuck his finger in an electrical socket that sent him flying, sprawling into his back on the grass and knocking the wind from his lungs. 

Turning his head, he could see that Aurora was still running, heading for the barn where his nightmares were locked up. 

Niall forced himself to get up again. He could barely breathe but he forced himself to run again, following Aurora and the demon. 

When he reached them, Aurora had just opened the padlock that held the doors closed. The demon was close behind her, but the minute the lock was gone the doors heaved—Aurora jumped out of the way just as they were knocked open, nearly shattered by the force of the things now pouring out into the fading daylight: horrible things, monstrous things to match the demon. 

Niall grabbed Aurora, hauling her back behind what remained of the door as the herd of nightmare creatures charged the demon. 

“It’s in my head!” Aurora sobbed, clutching at him, the blood still running down her face. “Niall, I can hear it in my head…”

“Shhh,” Niall whispered, though it was pointless with the terrible cacophony coming from the fighting creatures. He wrapped his arms around Aurora, hugging her to him and pressing her face to his chest. “I won’t let it get to you, love, I swear…”

But the noises were changing, shrieks and wails blending together into one howl, like the wind, and then there was a snarl and something hit the door and sent it flying in splinters over their head. 

The demon loomed over them. It was larger than before, blacker somehow too, and more terrible. None of Niall’s nightmare beasts was anywhere to be seen. 

“Oh shit,” Niall said. 

***

They were all staring up at the tree. Ronan was the first to move, sidling over to Noah, more concerned with him than the fact that Blue's father had just become significantly more arboreal.

"Oh, hey Ronan!" Noah said, smiling brightly. He held up his fist.

"Dude," Ronan said, giving him a fist-bump. "Where did you…were you out here the whole time?"

Noah scratched the side of his nose, then shielded his eyes with one hand, looking up at the tree. "Oh, I don't know…maybe. I've been somewhere. I feel stronger now though don't I look more like a person? Hey, Blue? Does this mean you're part tree?"

“I… I don’t…” Blue stuttered, gaping up at the tree. She looked back at her mother, standing with the other women just outside the back door, but Maura didn’t seem to know any more than she did. Then Blue looked at Gwenllian. 

“Haven’t you felt it, Blue lily?” Gwenllian said, sounding exasperated now. “Roots deep in the ground and your hands reaching for the stars? Haven’t you felt green and growing?”

Everyone looked at Blue but she continued that wide eyed, baffled stare. Gwenllian scoffed, spun around and flounced back into the house, followed a moment later by Maura. 

The teens in the back yard looked at each other, then up at the tree, then back at each other. 

Noah, alive and full of energy, was bouncing on his toes, humming to himself. “ _Crowns and birds, something and something, blue lily lily blue, blue lily lily blue…_ ”

“Can you maybe not do that?” Blue asked. 

“Sorry,” Noah said with a sheepish grin. “It’s just stuck in my…” His voice trailed off. His mouth opened a little and as they watched, what little color their was in his naturally pale face seemed to drain away. 

Gansey stepped closer to Blue, half in front of her. “Noah? What’s wrong?”

A shock of what felt like static electricity ran through the air, making the hair on everyone’s arms stand on end. Somewhere in the distance thunder tumbled. 

“Noah?” Gansey said again, a little more urgently this time. “Tell is what’s wrong.”

It was to Ronan that Noah turned, his expression sorrowful now. “Oh, Ronan,” he whispered. “Your parents.”

***

She had been standing facing the sink when the thing first crept into the house, so Aurora had heard the demon before she saw it. Its voice was like nails on the inside of her skull, like ice cold nails. 

_‘Dream,’_  it had hissed. Then, louder, like a hunting dog closing in on its prey:  _‘DREAM!’_

She didn’t have a chance to turn around. Something grabbed Aurora by her hair and slammed her sideways, her face hitting the fridge. She’d never felt pain like this before and screamed, the noise tearing from her as she felt shadow hands clawing at her back. 

But even with her head spinning, with blood running down her face, Aurora had managed to get to her feet. She had to get to Niall. 

_‘Useless to run, little dream!’_ the demon had hissed, now like static behind her eyeballs and inside her ears. ‘ _I will eat you up. I will devour you. I will unmake you!’_

Aurora burst through the back door. Looking up she’d seen Niall running towards her because of course he would, he had promised to protect her from everything. With the demon close on her heels she had grabbed her skirt and started running too. 

Now, with her face pressed to her husband’s chest and his arms wrapped tightly around her, Aurora could feel the demon eating Niall’s nightmare beasts. She didn’t like to tell Niall he was wrong about things but she could have told him this wouldn’t work, that a creature like that would only feed on nightmares like his. 

There was a tremendous crash of splintering wood, and Aurora let out a startled scream that was muffled by Niall’s shoulder. She lifted her head, looking up at his face. 

He was afraid. Niall, her always brave, always ready to fight husband was afraid, staring upwards, his beautiful eyes wide and reflecting...nothing but darkness.

Aurora turned around. The demon had to be nearly ten feet tall now, on all four...six...eight legs, its mouth opening first sideways then up and down showing nothing but blackness and endless teeth, eyes glowing red, and its voice scratching into her mind, into her heart –  _unmake_ _unmake_ _unmake_ _devour eat you up little dream little fairy queen destroy tear unmake..._

She could barely think, but she squared her shoulders and planted herself between the demon and her dreamer, holding steady even when Niall tried to push her out of the way. The demon took a step closer.

Then there came a sudden gust of wind and a scream like a hundred ravens shrieking at once. Aurora tilted her head back, looking up in time to see something huge and snow-white soar over their heads. The thing collided with the demon, both monsters tumbling back and away from them in a flurry of claws and wings and beaks and teeth, white and black whirling together.

“Holy Jaysus,” Niall gasped. 

“MOM! DAD!” 

They both turned. Running towards them was Ronan, with Adam close on his heels. Then Ronan looked past them, lifting his hand in the air and making a complicated gesture.

Aurora turned back and saw her son’s albino night horror grabbing the demon and rising into the air, then throwing the black shadow further away from them. The demon tried to grab the night horror but missed twice before it snagged a wing and dragged the night horror down. 

They tussled for some uncountable moments, then there was a sudden feeling like someone had just pulled the plug on a massive drain, sucking all the energy and pressure in the area down into it. Aurora felt her ears pop and she grimaced, stepping back into Niall’s arms. Ronan and Adam were beside them now, Ronan gaping at the spot where the two monsters had been fighting.

The demon was gone. All they could see now was his albino night horror lying in the grass, perfectly still.

The afternoon once again felt normal. Thunder rolled in the distance, and it began to rain.

Aurora turned, reaching for her son. She pulled him close, kissing his forehead and whispering, “Oh, my Ronan, my Ronan, I think you just saved us.”

***

By the time they headed back into the farmhouse, Gansey, Henry and Blue had caught up to them. They had followed in the Camaro when Ronan and Adam left 300 Fox Way at a breakneck and highly illegal speed. Now everyone was gathered in the brightly lit kitchen while Niall cleaned the blood off Aurora’s face and a storm raged outside.

“Where’s Noah?” Adam asked eventually.

Gansey shook his head. “He vanished again. I don’t know. Maura thought something drained the energy again.”

“Probably Piper Greenmantle’s pretty little hell hound out there,” Niall said.

Ronan looked at him with a frown. “How do you know that was hers?”

“Because she came here to taunt me before siccing it on us,” Niall said. He cleaned the last of the blood from his wife’s face, then kissed her cheek. “There you are, love, how are you feeling?”

“Exhausted,” Aurora murmured, curling against him and resting her head on his shoulder.

Ronan had been pacing back and forth from the sink to the stove, but he paused, looking at his parents, then walked around to drop into the chair next to Adam. Adam reached over, grasping Ronan’s hand.

Ronan looked up, across the table to meet his father’s gaze. 

For the first time in all the time Ronan could remember, Niall looked afraid, and didn’t try to hide it.

***

Everyone ended up staying the night at the Barns. It wasn’t even really discussed out loud, there was just a unanimous agreement that they would stay. Blue and Henry called their respective mothers and both mothers agreed without protest. 

Considering just how many teens were in the house, it was a surprisingly quiet evening. No one, Lynch parents included, had enough focus or energy to do anything social so mostly they sat around, each lost in their own activity or thoughts.

Adam slept in Ronan’s room that night, the two of them curling around each other in the dark. It wasn’t a particularly comfortable way to sleep, but that whole day had felt so strange that Adam felt like he needed Ronan’s presence as close as possible, and Ronan clearly felt the same about him.

***

Much later in the night they were both awakened by Blue.

“Guys,” she hissed. “Guys wake up.”

“Jesus, Sargent,” Ronan grumbled, squinting up at her in the light of the bedside lamp that Blue had also switched on. “What if we’d been doing something that wasn’t sleeping?”

Blue put her hands on her hips. “Then this would have been horribly embarrassing for all of us. But you need to get up. It’s Gansey.”

Both of them sat bolt upright. They could see Henry lingering in the doorway, his expression worried. 

“Where is he?” Ronan asked, getting out of bed and going to pull a t-shirt on.

“Outside,” Blue said. “I don’t know what he’s doing. He just got up and got dressed and headed out there without saying anything to us.”

Ronan frowned, exchanging a look with Adam.

A minute or two later the four of them hurried out to the backyard. Sure enough, there was Gansey, standing in the grass and looking out at the darkened fields and trees beyond. The afternoon rain had left everything slightly damp and fresh smelling, but Ronan could tell that there would be more storms on their way. 

Opal was standing in the grass a little way away, cradling Chainsaw in her arms, both of them watching Gansey.

When the four of them joined him, Gansey turned to look at them, blinking slowly at first, then giving a nod. “Good, you’re all up.”

“The fuck are you doing, man?” Ronan asked.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Gansey said. “And so I was thinking, and I think I know what I have to do now. What needs to be done now. Tonight.”

Ronan raised an eyebrow. “Again, the  _fuck_  are you doing?”

“It’s time to find Glendower,” Gansey said, and as he did there was a sudden surge of confidence behind his words. He began to smile, then turned from them and shouted into the night, “Tell me where he is! Take me to Glendower, take me to the raven king!”

For a long moment there was nothing, and then the night around them screamed.

“Oh my god,” whispered Blue. 

“What’s happening?” said Adam.

Gansey just smiled. “It’s working.”


	22. Chapter 22

Everything was wrong.

Niall Lynch stood leaning up against his car at the edge of an empty lot at the edge of town. Well, it was normally an empty lot. Right now there were two cars parked in it: his BMW, and the gleaming silver Fisker that belonged to Henry Cheng but had been borrowed by his mother. The two cars were parked side-by-side and the two owners stood facing each other, though both were looking at their phones. 

Niall was looking at the text from Ronan that he had found when he woke up and discovered all the children gone already. 

_We’ve gone to find the king. We’ve gone to fix this._

Somehow he didn't think this was like the other times they had gone looking for their king. He felt both proud and afraid. 

“It did not work,” Seondeok said. 

Niall looked up. There were other cars pulling up now, and he recognized more of the faces getting out of them than he would have liked. He scowled. Something had gone wrong. They had agreed with Laumonier that they were going to do all they could to prevent the other collectors from coming here, to Piper Greenmantle’s little auction, but it seemed that these efforts had gone astray. 

“Shit,” Niall sighed, running his fingers through his hair. He felt Seondeok’s hand on his arm and when he looked at her he saw she too was scanning the crowd, her expression tight.

Leaning closer to him she murmured, “Where are your family?”

“Aurora and Matt are back at the farm,” Niall said. “Ronan’s nightmare thing is guarding the place, I think they’ll be alright. Fuck knows where Ronan and Adam are.”

“Henry is with them, I think,” Seondeok murmured.

The sky above was heavy with rain clouds, and the world below was lit with a strange, greenish storm light. 

They both turned when a third car pulled up on the other side of Niall’s BMW, and out got Mr. Gray. He looked angry, and there was blood on his shoes. He spotted Niall and Seondeok and stalked over to them.

“Looks like you’ve been hard at work,” Niall said, glancing pointedly at the blood splatters.

“Did you two know Laumonier was going behind your back?” Mr. Gray asked. “You have one less to deal with now, you’re welcome, by the way.”

Niall bared his teeth, not at Mr. Gray, but at the situation in general. “Shit.”

“Are the kids still at your place? Maura said they stayed over there.”

“The children have gone to find their king,” Seondeok murmured, she sounded calm, but she was holding onto Niall’s arm with a vice grip, and he knew she was worried too.

Turning his head, Niall saw two figures coming over to them. One was on the phone and did not look happy. The second looked exactly like the first. “Hey, Seon,” Niall said, watching the remaining Laumonier brothers walking towards them across the lot slowly filling with collectors. “How do you say ‘we’re fucked’ in Korean?”

Seondeok did not respond, but she did look in the direction he was looking.

Both Laumoniers saw them. Apparently they did not know the whereabouts of their missing brother, however, because their eyes merely glazed over Mr. Gray, who was very good at blending into the background.

And then Piper Greenmantle arrived, and somehow everything got even worse.

She looked not unlike the way she had the day before when she projected herself to the Barns. She was dressed impeccably, she looked healthy and stunning. And this time instead of flickering like a bad hologram she was floating in on a cloud of tiny wasps, all of which blew away after gently setting her on the pavement. 

The crowd took one small step back.

In her arms she carried something cradled like a cat in her arms, except it was not a cat: it was a huge black wasp, over a foot long, its body shiny, its wings flexing slowly up and down. Waves of dread rolled off of it and Niall felt Seondeok shudder and heard her inhale sharply. 

“Stay with me,” he murmured, putting his hand over hers. “Seon, stay with me.”

“I can hear it,” Seondeok whispered.

Niall turned to look at her. She had gone pale, her eyes half closed. 

And then he heard it too.

“ _Dad.”_

A faint whisper in the back of his mind. Then louder:

“ _Dad, I’m so sorry! Daddy I’m so sorry...”_

No, he told himself, no we’re not doing this, it’s not real. It’s an echo. It’s trying to trip you both up.

Piper Greenmantle was looking directly at them. She pursed her lips, brushing long-nailed fingers over the back of the monster in her arms. Then, all at once she turned away, smiling at Laumonier who had come up beside her, though they were eyeing the demon with considerably more wariness than Niall had ever seen them display. 

Seondeok muttered something under her breath, shaking her head. The crowd had formed a loose semi-circle around Piper now, though everyone still kept a wary distance.

“Thank you all for coming!” Piper said, smiling beatifically around at all of them. “I know there were a few bad eggs out there trying to discourage people from coming but, well, it will be worth everyone’s time. I can promise you all that.” She paused, tilting her head, as though listening to something no one else could hear. Then she smiled. “Anyway, on to business. My plans for the immediate future are to move independently into the business of luxury magical items, and to show you all that I am serious, let me present the first of these just... incredible offerings. This.” She held up the wasp. It stepped out onto her forearm, balancing there, wings still flexing, dread still issuing form it like a noxious wave. “This, my dear friends and colleagues, is a demon. And as you can all tell, it has favored me.”

“How...” someone in the crowd began, but he seemed unable to finish his question.

Piper just smiled, turning so everyone could see the creature she held aloft.

“What’s the plan?” Mr. Gray muttered, leaning closer to Niall and Seondeok.

Niall’s heart was pounding. “Fuck the plan,” he said, then slipped his arm from Seondeok’s grasp and started pushing his way through the crowd. People stepped aside, looking surprised to see him there. Niall kept his eyes on Piper, who, seeing him approach, lowered the demon and went back to stroking it like some supervillain with a white cat. Reaching Piper, Niall turned to face the others, “This woman murdered a  _child_ in cold blood, she is out of her goddamn mind and sure as hell shouldn’t be trusted with this kind of power!”

_Greywarren_ , whispered the demon into his mind.  _Hello_ _greywarren_ _. I will devour you._

“Oh puh-lease,” Piper scoffed. “You can’t prove shit, Lynch. Why don’t you tell everyone what you’ve been lying about all these years? Your magic abilities? Mr. Greywaren?”

“Aye, I can take stuff from my dreams but at least I’m not a child killer,” Niall said. He could see Mr. Gray and Seondeok out of the corner of his eye.

Piper rolled her eyes. Then she looked at Niall and tapped one finger just below her nose. “You’ve got a little...”

Niall frowned. He swiped his own fingers over his upper lip. They came away black. “Don’t be an idiot,” he said to Piper, even as he felt a chill run through him. “Nothing of what that thing is giving you is free, it’s going to take its price, that’s how it works.”

On the other side of Piper, Laumonier met Niall’s eyes.

That’s right, Niall thought as he looked back. You made a mistake.

“Demon,” Piper said. “Change my clothes. Demon, make it stop drizzling. Demon...unmake that person trying to leave.”

Her clothes changed. The faint spray of rain falling on their heads ceased. The man trying to make a surreptitious retreat from the back of the crowd screamed. Black leaked from his eyes and ears and nose. His skin melted away. He collapsed. Blood and muscles and bones fell apart. More people screamed. Someone threw up. Then the man was gone.

Piper was laughing. “Fuck you, Niall Lynch,” she said, turning with a wide grin, pointing one sharp-nailed finger directly at Niall. “Demon! Unmake him.”

_With pleasure_ , buzzed the demon.

Seondeok let out a wordless shout. 

Someone fired a gun. 

Niall did not see who had fired or who had been hit, though, because the minute he heard Piper’s command he squeezed his eyes shut and shouted, “ _Cabeswater_ _!_ _Aiduva_ _me!”_

The ley line surged. Vines and leaves wrapped around him, muffling the demon’s screaming in his ears. Niall was plunged into darkness while back in the physical world he knew, vaguely, that he had fallen to his knees, that Seondeok was by his side, holding him up.

He could feel the demon trying to tear him apart, but he pushed all his energy into holding himself together, keeping his body and mind from being rent in two. It hurt. He knew he was screaming with the strain of it all, he could taste blood but whether that was in the real world or in his head he didn’t know. Claws bit at the inside of his head and he fought them back.

Glimpses of what was actually happening around him flashed in and out: people running, scattering from the lot. Piper Greenmantle was definitely dead, she lay in front of where he knelt. Laumonier had a gun. 

Niall’s precarious hold on consciousness was slipping and he knew that the minute he lost it he was dead. And if he died, so did Aurora. Matthew and Ronan would be orphans in the blink of an eye.

_Cabeswater_ _._

Desperation. Desperate. Anything to stop this.

_Tell me what to do._

And Cabeswater’s answer was what Niall had known it would be, because he knew how these things worked: Sacrifice. If he wanted help, he would have to give something up.

Trees whispered in his ears. Sacrifice. Give something up.

But what. What.

Niall felt himself fall back against Seondeok, who was shouting, but he couldn’t hear her because he was struggling to breath. And then he whispered, “ _But I being poor have only my dreams.”_

What do you want? asked Cabeswater.

I want my wife. I want me, and Aurora to survive this if I give this to you. And then I want the demon dead.

The demon will leave if you give this up, but if you want it to be unmade, Aurora cannot stay.

Niall shook his head. There was no need to think about his choice.

_I will always save my family. We’ll fight the demon another way. I give you this,_ _Cabeswater_ _. I give you my dreams to save my family._

Static. 

Niall opened his eyes. He choked, then gasped and sat up, and Seondeok slapped his back a few times until he caught his breath.

The scene around him was this: everyone was gone. Everyone except Seondeok and Mr. Gray and a dried corpse that had once been Piper Greenmantle. 

“The demon sucked her dry,” Seondeok said, her eyes wide. “And then it left. What did you do? Niall? What did you do?”

Niall was using his sleeve to wipe the last of the black stuff from his face. He looked up, first at her, then Mr. Gray, who had crouched near them. “The demon wanted to destroy me because I was the Greywaren.”

“What the hell did you do?” Seondeok whispered.

“I made a trade,” Niall said, rubbing the back of his neck. “My family will be safe.” He let out a bitter, half sad, half relieved laugh. “And I don’t have to deal with having that fucking ability anymore. Really I’m the one who made out like a thief on this deal.”

The other two stared at him, mouths open, unable to stay anything.

“But the demon is still alive,” Niall grunted, giving his head a shake. “And the kids are still out there. So we need to find them. Seon, I don’t suppose you happened to bring the second robo-bee with you, by any chance?”

Seondeok continued to stare at him. Then, wordlessly she slapped him across the face. Not too hard, but enough to get her point across.

“Oy,” Niall said, wincing. “The hell was that for?”

“For nearly getting both you and Aurora removed from existence,” Seondeok hissed, but she was turning to rummage in her purse. After a moment she found what she was looking for, a small case, like the kind people put pills in, except when Seondeok opened it inside was sitting a tiny, perfect replica of a bee.

“Right,” Niall said, accepting Mr. Gray’s hand to get to his feet again. “Let's go find those kids, and hope the demon doesn't have the same idea.”

***

Even with the help of Seondeok’s robo-bee, which in addition to being generally magical and intelligent had the added bonus of being able to specifically zero in on the location of Henry’s robo-bee, even with that, it took them the entire rest of the day to find the children.

Maybe not. Maybe time was broken. Nothing seemed to be working right. As they drove frantically out of Henrietta, Niall in the BMW and Seondeok in the Fisker behind him, it began to storm finally, a torrential downpour of not just rain but also any number of other things: flower petals, blood, black ooze. The only thing that kept Niall going, tirelessly, was his desperation to find the teens.

It struck him, at one point, that now that he was no longer a Greywaren and no longer a target for the demon, it might zero in on Ronan instead.

_Don’t do that_ , he warned himself.  _Just don’t._

He kept driving, only taking his eyes off the road every couple seconds to make sure Seondeok was still following him, which she was, and it was clear from her driving that she wished they could go faster.

And then, all at once, the world was normal again.

It happened so suddenly that Niall nearly slammed on the breaks. He could not even say what it was that he felt that made him so sure that whatever was wrong had stopped, he just knew, as much as he knew anything. There were still petals on the road ahead of him and everything, but the rain now coming down was just rain.

Except a moment later he  _did_  slam on the breaks, because there in the middle of the road was Ronan’s car, all the doors wide open, and there on the grassy shoulder were the teens. 

Niall shut off his car and sprang out, running over the slick ground towards them.

Blue Sargent spotted him first. It was clear she had been crying. “Mr. Lynch!” she gasped, relief flooding her voice.

Niall reached them, and for a dazed second tried to figure out what, exactly, was going on. Blue and Henry stood, shoulder to shoulder, wide eyed and exhausted. Gansey was sitting on the ground, blinking. Next to him crouched Ronan, who was sobbing in a way Niall hadn’t seen him cry since Declan. Adam was beside Ronan, his eyes also red, one arm around his boyfriend.

Gansey turned and looked up at Niall, squinting a little since he was wearing his glasses and they were covered in droplets of rain. “Oh, hello Mr. Lynch,” he said, like they had run into each other on the street.

“ _Umma_!” Henry cried, rushing over to Seondeok, who had also joined them by then. She wrapped her arms around her son, holding him to her.

Niall, unable to verbalize the thoughts racing through his brain, held his hands out in a gesture that begged someone to tell him what was going on.

“We, uhm, we...” Blue stuttered, but tears were welling in her eyes again and she had to stop, shaking her head.

Gansey got up then. Something about him seemed different, something Niall couldn’t quite put his finger on. Stepping around Ronan and Adam, he walked over to pull Blue into a hug. Then, carefully, he leaned down and kissed her. Just like that. Lightly. And nothing happened. 

When he looked back at Niall again, he was smiling. “I think it’s over,” he said softly. 

***

Though they were all reluctant to part, the fact of the matter was that everyone was exhausted and in various states of shock and distress, so it was decided by the two adults present that it would be a good idea to regroup and reconvene the next day. Seondeok loaded Henry, Blue and Gansey into the Fisker to take them back to 300 Fox Way, and Niall first moved Ronan’s car to a safe place off the side of the road with the promise they would pick it up the following day, then took Ronan and Adam and Opal back to the Barns.

On the way Ronan fell into a deep and sudden sleep. Adam took the opportunity to fill Niall in on everything that had happened since they ran out the previous evening: About the wild chase to Glendower’s tomb, about finding that the king was really dead and not just sleeping as they had all thought for so long, about the subsequent demon attack, what happened to Ronan, what happened to him, the realization of the sacrifice they would have to make. 

Gansey’s death. Gansey’s return to life.

At the mention of sacrifice, Niall’s jaw had tightened a little, but he didn’t say anything, not then at least.

Dawn was breaking in full when they finally pulled into the driveway of the farmhouse. No sooner had Niall shut off the car then the front door of the house flew open and both Aurora and Matthew ran out, Aurora rushing to them, hovering until everyone was close enough to pull into a somewhat difficult hug.

“Mom,” Ronan protested, but there was no force behind it.

“I was so worried,” Aurora whispered. “Are you all alright?”

“Aye,” Niall said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and kissing her temple. “We’re fine now. Exhausted, but fine.”

Aurora looked up at him. “I feel different. What did you do, my love?”

Ronan looked up too, frowning, his eyes still red and puffy. “Dad?”

“I did what I had to,” Niall said. He gave Ronan a tight smile. “You’re all alive. And there’s still one Greywaren in the family, that’s what matters.”

“You gave up your ability,” Adam said, shocked. 

Niall nodded. 

The whole group was quiet then, still standing in a tight cluster on the front lawn. Something tugged on Niall’s shirt and he looked down to see Opal gazing up at him. He smiled, bent down and scooped her up so she was on a level with everyone else.

After the silence stretched out a moment longer, Aurora cleared her throat and said, “I think I’m going to make waffles for everyone, and then we should all try to get some rest. Come on, let's go inside before anyone catches cold...”

And with that she turned and headed into the house, and the rest of the family followed.

***

Epilogue

Even though the news channels were all talking about how hot a summer they were headed for that year, the day of the Aglionby Academy graduation was bright and clear and pleasantly cool, which made the infinitely long ceremony slightly less torturous than it could be (though Adam did nearly die of embarrassment when Ronan insisted on fist-bumping Headmaster Childs instead of shaking his hand, though this was met with delighted laughter from the other students). 

But finally it was over, every one of their classmates had his diploma, and they were released to return to their parents and families. 

Adam knew his mother and father had not come. He had invited them, but it had taken only a few scans of the crowd in the rows of folding chairs set out on the lawn to see they were not there. 

He didn’t understand why he felt so disappointed. 

“Hey,” Ronan said, throwing his arm around Adam’s shoulders as they headed up the main aisle. “You did it. Graduated with great  _laude_  and everything.”

“You did it too, somehow,” Adam said, tapping his diploma folder against Ronan’s.

Ronan made a face. “I didn’t want to come to this stupid ceremony but Mom made those puppy-dog eyes at me.”

Adam laughed quietly, switching his diploma to his other hand so he could wrap an arm around Ronan’s waist. “I’m glad you came.”

The yard beyond the area that had been set aside for the ceremony was now a sea of people. Adam and Ronan spotted Gansey a little way off, posing with Blue while his parents took pictures of them. And then, looking up, he saw Niall and Aurora and Matthew waving.

“Oy, you two get your arses over here,” Niall said, grinning widely. 

“Oh my god, Dad, no,” Ronan groaned, but Niall had already pulled them both into a fierce embrace that was part hug part wrestling move.

When he finally let them go, Niall remained close, looking at them each for a moment with a more serious expression. “I’m so damn proud of you both, you know that?”

Something tightened in Adam’s chest, but... not necessarily in a bad way. He wanted to say something to Ronan’s parents, to thank them for everything they had done for him, but he couldn’t find the words, so he just smiled lopsidedly, then moved to stand next to Ronan as Aurora told them to get together so she could take some pictures of them with their diplomas. 

“Hey!” Henry’s voice carried over to them, and they looked to see him and his mother heading towards the parking lot. “You guys are coming to the party, yeah?”

Ronan lifted his hand in acknowledgement. “We’ll see you over there, Cheng.” Then to his father he said, “Come on you guys can take a million pictures of us at the party I’m ready to get the hell out of this dump. Let’s bounce!” Then, with a burst of unexpired energy, Ronan reached over and flicked Matthew’s arm, taking off with a loud laugh when his brother let out a delighted cry and chased after him.

“Don’t run into anyone!” Aurora shouted, following the two boys. 

Niall patted Adam’s shoulder, the two of them starting after the others at a slightly more sedate pace. As though sensing Adam’s hesitation, Niall said, “I know this past year’s been a mess, but I’m glad you decided to stay with us. Not just because of how good you are for Ronan. You’re a good lad, Adam, and I hope you know you have a place in this family.”

“Thank you,” Adam said. “I really don’t know how I’ll ever pay...”

“No," Niall said, firmly but gently. “This isn’t the sort of thing you have to pay back for. This is what people who care about you do for you, and Aurora and I do care about you.”

Adam bit down on his lip, hard.

After a few more steps, Niall gave him a playful nudge with his elbow. “Though I do expect a heads up when you plan on proposing to my son.”

Adam let out a startled laugh at that, feeling his cheeks color. “You don’t think that’s gonna be Ronan’s job?”

“Nah,” Niall said, grinning. “Something tells me it’ll be you doing that.”

“I think it’ll probably be after college,” Adam said, glancing at him.

“That’s more than alright,” Niall said, then jerked his chin towards Ronan, who was running back towards them. “Speaking of himself...”

 Adam rolled his eyes, jogging ahead to meet Ronan part way. They nearly collided, and, laughing, Ronan caught Adam around the waist, half swinging around him. “Lynch I swear to God!” Adam said, but he was laughing as well, and grabbed Ronan by the shoulders, turning him so they were facing each other. 

“Dope,” Ronan said, though he leaned in a little, smiling when Adam rested his hands on the back of his neck.

Adam grinned at him, well aware that Aurora was taking a picture of them. “Ass,” he said, quietly, then tilted his head to the side, kissing Ronan slowly and sweetly, smiling into the kiss.

They drew apart but kept their eyes closed, foreheads resting against each other.

“Say it again,” Adam said quietly, brushing his thumb against the back of Ronan’s neck.

“Say what?”

Adam kissed the corner of his mouth. “You know what.”

Ronan was quiet for half a second before he said, just loud enough so that Adam could hear him and no one else, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Adam said, and as they drew apart and started on to the parking lot, he thought he might never stop smiling. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The great labor of love is finally done, holy cow! This has clocked in as my longest fic to date, so thank you so, so much to everyone who has stuck with me. I hope you all have enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it!


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